Presentation:

Perfumed Words

Odorama 19 - with Han van der Vegt, Bas Belleman, Sander Bink, Marcello Aspria and Anna de Waard

19 Oct 2017

Poetry and literature have a lot in common with perfumes and scent compositions. Scents, like stories, evolve over time and trigger emotional states and memories. Like time-based narratives, they convey different moods and atmospheres within one composition. And most of all, they leave room for the imagination. No wonder so many poets and writers were and are inspired by scents.

During this edition of Odorama poets and writers react to perfumes and scents, and olfactory artists and an aromajockey react to writers. Join us to simultaneously smell and hear the outcomes of this cross-disciplinary engagement.

Note: this event is in English.

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Odorama: Animal Smell - soap smelling - Anisa Xhomaqi

Odorama is a collaboration between Mediamatic and Caro Verbeek.

Caro Verbeek

Caro Verbeek (1980) is an art historian, author, and researcher with a focus on the lower senses (smell, taste, touch). As curator of this event, Caro Verbeek will introduce us to the topic by discussing the "perfume concert"; a popular theme in literature and poetry around the fin-de-siecle. 

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Caro Verbeek presenting at the Odorama: The Anthropology Edition -

With: Caro Verbeek

Bas Belleman

Bas Belleman is a poet, translator and storyteller. He published three poetry collections, the first of which was nominated for the renowned C. Buddingh’ Prize. He also published his translation of Shakespeare’s Dark Lady sonnets, putting forward an unorthodox idea on the nature of this elusive Dark Lady. For Odorama, he will tell how Shakespeare used scents and perfume in his poems and plays.

Sander Bink

Sander Bink is an expert in the art and literature of the fin de siècle and one of the permanent writers for rond1900.nl. This evening he will discuss scent in the classic women's novel of Couperus, Tolstoj, and Flaubert. During his presentation, video artist May-Britt Boekel show a video questioning how it looks like to smell, based on different novels from the end of the 19th century.

Han van der Vegt

Han van der Vegt is a poet and author of children's books. Van der Vegt writes long narrative poems. His most known poem is 'Exorbitans', a science fiction poem. A unique interdisciplinary collaboration will take place: Olfactory artist Klara Ravat composed a scent especially for the event, which Han van der Vegt translated into a poem. Klara will aromatize an existing poem by Han by creating an olfactory narrative.

Anna de Waard

Anna de Waard is a spoken word Artist. For this Odorama-edition, Anna translated an existing perfume into a poem without knowing the name or brand, in order to change the perception of something we might already know. The familiar can turn into something extraordinary when seen and smelled from a different angle. The audience (and Anna) will find out the name of the scent composition only after her performance. 

Marcello Aspria

Sociologist Marcello Aspria researched the relation of perfume and gender in his article: “Perfume and Gender Identity: Shifting Olfactory Definitions of Masculinity and Femininity in the Twentieth Century”. His main objective is to contribute to the development of a sociology of smell. Tonight he will talk about the poetics of perfume and absence using Italo Calvino's short story The Name, The Nose.

Information

Odorama: Perfumed Words
Thursday 19 October 2017
Program starts at 20:00
Mediamatic Biotoop, Dijksgracht 6, Amsterdam
Tickets: €7,50 pre-sale | €10 door | Students €5

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Odorama: Animal Smell - Saskia Wilson-Brown - Public explores the scent presented by Saskia Wilson-Brown Anisa Xhomaqi

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Do you smell blue? - Odorama 4: A woman smells a particular scent during the music of Dana El Masri Margherita Soldati

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Regina distributing aroma at Odorama - Regina as aroma jockey during Odorama: Art + Distillation Anisa Xhomaqi

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Odorama Scent Jockeying - Scentman the Aroma Jockey producing scents during Caro Verbeek's presentation. Margherita Soldati

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Spraying scents during Job Koelewijn's talk. - Anisa Xhomaqi

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- Caro Verbeek is giving a talk during Odorama.

With: Caro Verbeek
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Caro Verbeek presenting Odorama - Chiara Barraco

With: Caro Verbeek
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Odorama: Perfumed Words - Chiara Barraco

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Eugenia Perisonati spreading perfumes - Chiara Barraco

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Han van der Vegt reading his poetry - Chiara Barraco

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Klara Ravat - Chiara Barraco

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Klara Ravat created a smell in reaction to Han van der Vegt's Poem -

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Klara Ravat and Han van der Vegt - Chiara Barraco

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Sander Bink and May-Britt Boekel - Chiara Barraco

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Anna de Waard singing - Chiara Barraco

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Anna de Waard - Chiara Barraco

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Anna de Waard and Caro Verbeek - Chiara Barraco

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Marcello Aspria - Chiara Barraco

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Smelling perfumes at Odorama - Chiara Barraco

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Bas Belleman - Chiara Barraco

With: Bas Belleman
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Bas Belleman during his speech - Chiara Barraco

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Smelling garlic - Chiara Barraco

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Caro Verbeek and Leonie Alpheus - Chiara Barraco