Multimedia Exhibition A JOURNEY IN BLUE
Organized by Metropoliten perfumeries and BIBBI perfumes, at the N.EON gallery – fluorescent dreamscapes illuminated by scent.
Stina Bibbi Seger, a Swedish perfumer, brought the subconscious into the world of fragrance, creating perfumes as reflections of stories, people, or events she encounters and experiences during her meditations. Stina Seger uses scents and perfumes as an extension of states of consciousness, or as a medium for exploring the unconscious.
PERFUME AS A MEDIUM THAT OPENS THE HEART
Our perfume is a bridge to the inner self, an invitation to discover an unforgettable experience,” says Stina Bibbi Seger, who, fascinated by ancient philosophies of meditation, made what was a radical decision for a twenty-year-old: to spend three years on a remote island, immersed in her own mind.
As the exhibition’s special guest, Stina Seger captivated the audience not only with her intriguing life story, but also with her personal charisma and simplicity in communicating with everyone who wanted to talk to her. And everyone wanted to know why she chose perfume as the medium to express her deeply personal, meditative themes.
“I work with perfumes because they can touch you straight in the heart. Just like meditation – it helps open the heart. When I create a perfume, it’s always, above all, about emotions, and only then about ingredients,” said Stina Seger in conversation with Filip Galen, training manager of Metropoliten perfumeries.
Filip also asked her what emotion perfumes most often evoke in her.
“Melancholy,” replied Stina Seger.
AND WE IMMEDIATELY KNEW WE UNDERSTOOD EACH OTHER...
BIBBI currently has six aromatic stories – perfume creations that are as modern and fresh as they are mystical, inspiring further interpretation and imagination. The descriptions with which Stina Seger presents her inspirations read like surreal short stories.
For example, while perfume creators usually describe sandalwood as a warm, velvety fragrant cloak, Stina Seger describes the inspiration for her sandalwood-based perfume like this:
“I came across her in the Paris metro. Her strikingly blue eyes drew attention, and her voice was deep yet gentle, like the sound of a cat purring. She wore a red velvet dress and smelled of the most beautiful sandalwood. She didn’t say much at the time, but she smiled at me and whispered, ‘Vivre,’ and we both knew we understood each other.”
Such are the perfumes that Metropoliten used as the foundation for the multimedia exhibition at N.EON gallery. Artistic portraits visually representing each individual perfume covered the concrete walls of the gallery, while fluorescent blue - an essential part of the brand’s identity – flooded the space and intoxicated the senses.
Since its earliest perfume events combining scent with taste, or scent with design, and most recently the Sensory Exhibition, Metropoliten has treated perfumes as an art form that inevitably calls for multimedia expression.
SWEET AND DARK, SHADOWS AND LIGHTS
The perfume Vanilla Factory served as inspiration for further explorations in other media and for engaging other senses.
“...those who come too close to the old vanilla factory testify to distant, hypnotic music, laughter, and white shadows resembling women moving inside. The air is thick with passion and another feeling that lingers there – unknown, sweet and dark at the same time...” reads the description of this perfume, which was given its own video installation in a cave at the bottom of the gallery.
That typical Belgrade lagum, deep and dark, with swaying curtains, music, and lights slicing through the darkness, easily became a place of mystique that drew visitors to descend and experience the atmosphere inspired by a single perfume.
Needless to say, the same scent also served as inspiration for another important sense... A bright blue pudding proved irresistible not only to the eye, but also to the palate.
AROMA TAROT – WHEN SCENTS SPEAK TO YOU
The deeply personal connection of perfume with our emotions, aspirations, and individuality – it happens, or it doesn’t.
Metropoliten gave a playful push to the game of perfume and destiny, with an aroma-tarot table that attracted great attention from exhibition visitors. Tarot cards, designed especially for the occasion as part of the performance, carried messages connected to BIBBI perfumes – and through their stories, messages about us as well.
One of the aroma-tarot themes was the selection of the perfume that was right for each visitor. For Stina Seger, the Met-aroma-tarot chose Ghost of Tom as her fated scent.
“It would be hard for me to single out one perfume that means more to me, because they are all like children to me. But if I had to point to those that are more personal, they would be Vanilla Factory and Ghost of Tom,” said Stina in her interview with Filip.
A Journey in Blue – the exhibition subtitled “sensory decoding of the subconscious” – lasted for just one evening, but in that short time it managed to guide us through powerful associations awakened by scent.
