J W  Dotson MD: The Devil's Dream Chamber
Channel: The Institute for Art and Olfaction
Date: 06/08/2020

Count Robert de Montesquiou, author of “Le Chef des odeurs suaves,” reigned over fin-de-siecle Paris with his dandified salons featuring symbolic perfumes, seances and music. His hyperaestheticism was the inspiration for J. K. Huysmans’ decadent novel Against Nature and his philosophy was reborn in the psychedelic era with satanist Anton LaVey’s concept of “Total Environments” which advocate the creation of artificial personal spaces that use theatrical sensory materials to cultivate nostalgia as an occult tool. We will discuss the use of a scented sanctum as a means for creative isolation and reverie.

James is a psychiatrist with a fascination for the strange borderlands of fragrance. His interests include ethnobotany, alchemy, classical astrology, and archaic and traditional medicine. He has been a perfume blogger at Sniffapalooza Magazine and is the first recipient of the Now Smell This “ Le Prix Eau Faux” award (2008).
More information at www.uncannyscents.com.
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ABOUT ESS
A friendly, relaxed and conversational meeting of olfactory artists, the Experimental Scent Summit is an annual opportunity for participants to share their work while openly discussing the challenges of working with scent. All this and more in an unrestrained, non-competitive, supportive environment. ESS is a program presented by The Institute for Art and Olfaction and Smell Lab.