Parsons, The New School for Design, and The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), in partnership with International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF), Coty Inc. and Seed will organize ‘Headspace: A Symposium on Scent as Design’ on March 26, 2010 at Tishman Auditorium, The New School, NYC.
The daylong event will bring together leading designers, scholars, scientists, artists, and perfumers to explore this new territory for design including IFF VP, senior perfumer Carlos Benaim; Anna Barbera, researcher and author specializing in the links between built space and aroma; conceptual scent artist Sissel Tolaas; product designer Ayse Birsel; architecture and design critic Sylvia Lavin; neurobiologist Leslie Vosshall; architect Toshiko Mori; designer and researcher Susanna Soares; and Jean-Louis Frechin, a designer exploring hyper-sensoriality.
Apart from the panel discussions, the event would feature individual dialogues with ‘accidental perfumers’ Ayse Birsel and Bibi Seck (Birsel + Seck); Zoe Coombes and David Boira (Commonwealth); Toshiko Mori; Majora Carter; and Marije Vogelzang (Proef). These designers have partnered with IFF perfumers Celine Barel, Yves Cassar, Jean Marc Chaillan, Loc Dong, Pascal Gaurin, Clement Gavarry, Bruno Jovanovic, and Laurent Le Guernec to create a series of unique applications for scent in everyday life, beyond fragrance. The discussion will unveil their scent design and their creative process. In addition, the event would include a presentation of an interdisciplinary project, “Critical Experiments in the Smell of Space and Time,” by students in collaboration with IFF perfumers.
Of the event, Véronique Ferval, director of the Creative Center at IFF, producer of flavors and fragrances, said, “IFF is thrilled to be partnering with Parsons and MoMA on this groundbreaking event. One of our priorities is to increase knowledge and foster innovation in our industry, and we are delighted to work with professional designers as well as students to explore new areas of discovery.”
