#13: The Art of Scent
Instructed by Alexis Karl at Pratt Institute
PREVIOUS: #14: Genius: Deconstructing the Idea of Intelligence
Why is petrichor — the scent of rainfall after a long period of dry weather — universally acclaimed as being one of the most pleasant smells? How can our sense of smell be manipulated so as to evoke powerful memories? Should scent be considered an art medium?
These are the questions that Pratt Institute instructor Alexis Karl poises in her course, The Art of Scent. Students who enroll within the course widen the scope of their artistry through explorations of using fragrance as a tool – one which sparks emotional reactions and influences audience perceptions of their artwork.
The Art of Scent
School: Pratt Institute
Course: The Art of Scent
Instructor: Alexis Karl
Course Description:
Art and scent are linked together in time and space, speaking of memory emotion, and the spirit of artistic invention. This class explores fragrance as an artistic medium, using notes like dragon’s blood, ambergris, rare flowers, and 35-million-year old amber. Joined with fine and performing arts, scent will be an immersive means of communication, challenging artistic-olfactory perceptions, translating memory into art and experience, and storytelling through multidisciplinary installation.
Ask the Instructor: Alexis Karl
Why did you elect to offer The Art of Scent at Pratt this year?
I think my course, Art of Scent, offers students the opportunity to break the boundaries of art making. We use fragrance as an artistic medium- paired with all the disciplines we can think of (from painting, sculpting, performance, film, installation, culinary art etc.) and in playing with a completely new medium of aroma, students get a chance to explore in very unusual ways- ways that pull from their studies, but let them fly free on aromatic wings, so to speak.
This is important to me. To have a class where students can really embrace this freedom… where any subject or medium they have wanted to try in their individual practices, with the addition of aroma, is possible.
Is The Art of Scent offered within the department at Pratt in which you usually teach?
Art of Scent is offered only though PIC: Pratt Integrative Courses. I suppose you can call PIC my home department, even though it is not an official department.
What do you ultimately hope that your students take away from participating in the course?
I hope my students take away the idea that they can give themselves permission to create anything they want to, no matter subject, scale or medium.
I think this is really the point. In my class we start with scent, and learn how to play with it, manipulate it, and make it into art. Then we start to experiment. We create tinctures and unusual scents- deconstruct fragrances for the purposes of art, performance and installation. Finally, we harness this ethereal thing that is aroma, and play with perception. I want my students to see aroma as just another artistic tool- but one that is incredibly powerful- one that evokes memory, and inspires emotion. I want them to see all this is possible. At the end of the day, art is about telling a story.. and joyfully exploring multidisciplinary mediums to do so.
If you could teach a course on any topic at all, what would it be?
I adore teaching Art of Scent because it is a course in artistic freedom as much as it is about the mediums we explore.
There are so many topics I am fascinated by, and many I would love to teach. I have a long history in lecturing on deadly Victorian beauty practices, and how that inspired the making of monsters like vampires and re -animated women in the Victorian era, that I would love to teach both on campus and at the Greenwood Cemetery! Another is a class I taught in Continuing Education — The Cult of Fashion…which was about creating wearable art inspired by feminine archetypes throughout history and story (warriors, witches, queens ..etc.) both classes are dear to my heart, and subjects that would be a bit different from those currently offered.
NEXT: #12: Political Humor in Modern America: What’s so Funny?
We’re highlighting seventeen of the most innovative university courses offered this academic year. For the full list of courses, click here.
