Pure Beauty

Illuminum unveils Colour as a Narrative fragrance installation

Published: 27-May-2015

Space designed to strip away beauty floor distractions

UK fragrance brand Illuminum London has unveiled a creative installation at its London store on Dover Street.

The space, Colour as a Narrative, is designed to create an architectural and olfactive experience for visitors, and was created in partnership with Architect Antonio Cardillo; it is the second creative collaboration for the brand as part of a wider calendar of partnership projects.

The intallation aims to strip away learnt associations built around graphics, names and ingredients, and encourages a more physical and intuitive experience of scent. The space features an irregularly textured room made from volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvias, which provides acousitcs “whilst giving respite to the glaring lights and bombardment found in beauty halls”, according to Asakala Geraghty, Creative Director at Illuminum London.

Fragrance plays a central part in the experience, with a semicircle of 37 irregular mouth-blown glass forms each suspended by a black thread. Inside each glass container is a scent, which Cardillo idescribes as ‘invisible colours revealed only by the nose’.

Geraghty said: “Our attention focuses on the physical and our sensitivity to the fragrances is amplified, encouraging our interpretations to become less linear and more intuitive. As in the natural world, our grotto offers seclusion, protection but also a stable atmosphere. The air within is unpolluted by volatile flying molecules as each fragrance is captured, as if suspended in time.”

You may also like