Events

Tuesday 15th May 2012

Superhuman Scents: perfume in the machine age.

7.30pm at The Book Club
100 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4RH
Tickets £12

Prepare to flex your nostrils as Odette Toilette and special guest speaker guide you into the mysterious and wonderful world of synthetic smells.

From Iso E Super to Galaxolide – with their super-hero style names – you’ll be shiffing away at the chemicals which make up much of what we smell today alongside the fragrances which contain them, while learning the hidden stories of the chemical revolution in the 19th and 20th centuries. Plus, how does nervousness around the ‘man-made’ as opposed to the ‘naturals’ relate to other cultural discussions of the fake: from nylon to cylons and counterfeit art?

As with all Scratch+Sniff events, NO knowledge of scent is required, simply a curiosity about the arena of olfaction…..

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Tuesday 12th June 2012

Penning Perfumes

7.30pm at The Book Club
100 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4RH
Tickets £12

Can a perfume shape-shift into a poem, and can the written word become a perfume?

Join us for Scratch+Sniff’s literary evening with a difference, as we hear for the first time a magical procession of poetry commissions while sniffing the mystery fragrances that inspired them. Even better, sample some completely new and adventurous scents inspired by poems and decide for yourself if the interpretation makes sense.  At the end of the evening we unveil the Penning Perfumes poetry pamphlet, designed by Nick Murray of Annexe.

This year a group of British poets including David Morley, Lavinia Greenlaw, Valerie Laws, Tim Wells and Amy Key have embarked on a collaboration with the world of fragrance – an olfactory and verbal match with perfumers Ruth Mastenbroek, Penny Williams, Kate Williams, Mike Parrot and Steve Hallett. Follow the project at http://penningperfumes.tumblr.com and on twitter via #penningperfumes

Penning Perfumes is supported by Seven Scent and Ideas Tap.

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The Vintage Scent Sessions

2.30-5.00pm (dates and booking below)
The Scent Salon, Les Senteurs, 2 Seymour Place, London, W1H 7NA

Tickets £35

Scratch+Sniff are  delighted to announce a new series of events taking place in the Scent Salon at Les Senteurs’ new shop in London’s Marylebone.

On a Saturday afternoon every other month, The Vintage Sessions offer a chance to really immerse yourself in a specific period of fragrance history. We’ll experience many of the scents originally created at that time for both men and women, in conjunction with discovering links with the wider social, artistic, literary, fashion, even culinary contexts.

With bellinis, delightful cakes, vintage cocktail dresses displayed by the marvellous Juno Says Hello, and plenty of sampling, the Vintage Session are highly indulgent events for noses of all persuasions. Afterwards Les Senteurs have very kindly offered each guest a £10 voucher to spend upstairs in the shop.

Only 30 places are available for each date so do book soon. Groups of 6 are welcome to book a whole table.

Saturday 10th March 2012: SOLD OUT
the 1930s: fascism, talkies and the venomous flower.

Saturday 19th May 2012:
the 1940s: the bomb, the femme fatale and the reluctant hero.

Saturday 14th July 2012:
the 1950s: the teen, the blonde and the beatnik.

Saturday 15th Sept 2012:
the 60s and 70s: cold war, space odysseys and the opium barge.
(Booking opens shortly)