Once again the Earth aligns with the planet Sirius opening The Lion’s Gate Portal so that we may receive a flood of cosmic activations. Although I had heard of this the last two years, it was in a teleconference call with a local shaman here in Santa Fe, named Robin Coale that I was reminded of this special time.
Since arriving to the high desert I have noticed an opening in my intuitive and psychic abilities, this I have been listening more deeply and paying attention to patterns, or what Paulo Coelho in his book The Alchemist refers to as omens.
Thus on this eighth day of the eighth month, with this special portal open I thought I would share a special meditation that started presenting itself to me a few years ago and has finally coalesced. If you have time today and for the next week, I suggest listening to Robin's teleconference and take a moment to embrace the flood of cosmic energies.
Here is the meditation that came to me:
Find a peaceful place to sit quietly, ideally outdoors. As you ground your self into mother earth and become aware of the circulating air, warmth of the solar rays, and luminosity of the stars and lunar beams,
observe a vertical figure eight before you, the same height as your body. The image slowly begins to pulse with energy moving along the path of the form.
Consider how the top of the form mimics the bottom, “As above, so below, as within so without." The form now turns on its side, finding its central axis at the solar plexus and begins to spin around you, resembling a flower. The spinning geometric form eventually generates a light bubble all around you.
Standing within this loving sphere of light, perceive how vibrant threads descending from the cosmos flood into your body through the crown of your head, pausing to illuminate your pineal gland and then both recharging and rejuvenating your entire system. While this takes place breath in gratitude for being here on this planet during this very special time, as we “activate” our ascension codes and manifest our individual and collective dream.
Above is a video Greg amended from when he did visual development for the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Narnia Film. He describes the symbolism like this:
On the 8th day of the 8th month, the Lions Gate opens. Metaphysically this is a powerful day for transformation and visualization. There is a scene I worked on for the "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" motion picture which encapsulates this concept.
One of the characters has been turned into a dragon through a greedy activity. He is in danger of being slain because no one knows that this is not his real form. After realizing his error he asks for forgiveness and Aslan, the sacred lion turns him back into his human form... with some intense dramatics.
This scene symbolically represents the dragon of our lower nature, and the power of transformation using right thoughts, and right actions.
The animatic shows our dragon/boy floating up from the ocean (his subconscious) as a sand bar pushes him above the water. When he opens his eyes (waking the portals of perception) he sees the sun rising which turns into Aslan standing on the water. Aslan roars and rushes the waking dragon (the wind of realization). He tears him open with his claws (removing the ego) and the transformation begins from lower nature to higher being. The changing consciousness is washed over by a huge wave (infinite love), setting in motion a rebirth.
Meditation and Visualization are tools that help us calm the mind and open the portals of perception.
Artwork by Greg Spalenka, concept design for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader film.
On Friday evening Greg and I headed over to the Violet Crown to see Phantom Thread, the latest and supposedly last film of the formidable Daniel Day-Lewis. He portrays Reynolds Woodcock, a British couturier in 1950's London with impeccable taste and a rather extreme and demanding temperament. If I were to choose an astrological sign for him Virgo comes to mind with his obsession to detail mixed with a bit of the cardinal signs of Capricorn and Aires who tend toward control. This compulsion for attentions to intricate parts of a whole, intense work ethic and commanding others is inherent in most genius artists who are committed to mastery and a defined aesthetic, Coco Chanel is a great example.
The film is beautifully rich, threaded with symbolic messages which hid themselves at first, presenting themselves on a conscious level as I continued to ponder and savor all the little details carefully stitched throughout—literally and metaphorically.
Film maker and director Paul Thomas Anderson co-wrote and produced this glamour packed, elegant morsel with Daniel-Day, previously the two had collaborated on There Will Be Blood (2007). Mr. Anderson also undertook the role of "director of photography" which leads one to speculate that he himself contains some of the same eccentric devotions to quality we see in Mr. Woodcock.
The film also stars Vicky Krieps as Alma, his strong willed, young muse and Lesley Manville as Cyril, the very discerning and observant assistant and sister. Both Alma and Cyril have a similar look, which before I knew of the brother/sister relationship, had me speculating that the two red heads may have metaphorically been aspects of the same character. Something else to note is that the word alma means soul in Spanish.
Viscerally compelling from the start where we get a glimpse into Mr. Woodcock as master craftsman in the fashion house of a post war, London master craftsman and his entourage of assistants as they arrive at dawn and put on their uniforms.
The exquisite scrolling, calligraphic title is what captured me instantly in the trailer, followed by the setting of Londons mid century, high glamour fashion world coupled with Daniel Dy-Lewis and Paul Thomas. The haunting soundtrack weaved throughout was composed by Jonny Greenwood.
SPOILER ALERT
Before continuing, I recommend to STOP READING from this point forward so that you can view this cinematic gem in pure ignorance of the spoilers I am about to share.
As we drove out of the parking lot of the theater, Greg shared that he found the film troubling and was left with an uncomfortable feeling. I on the other hand didn't have that impression, in my mind I thought how in a way it was a modern day Taming of the Shrew in reverse. And to be completely honest, can see how in a partnership there are all sorts of issues going on simultaneously as each person makes concessions, or not, for the other—or over time one becomes resentful of the other. Relationships, especially close ones, are extremely complicated, as I am sure you are keenly aware of. To be the wife of a celebrated artist with a healthy ego can be anguish, daunting and constantly work on your own self esteem, it demands you to stand up and be heard, even when the other has no interest in having his shadowy self revealed.
So, where Greg was made uncomfortable, I relish Alma finding her own way of dealing with the bully and bringing him to his knees in an act of equanimity.
Another intriguing aspect that came to mind was how Alma, symbolic of the creative, circular womb, would go out into the forest to harvest mushrooms. I thought about how in many of the old faery tales untamed nature is so often needed to bring restoration to a life out of balance. There is also the concept of the mushrooms acting as a detox.
I'm sure as I continue to contemplate Phantom Thread and see it again and again, more of its inner linings will be revealed.
The original Blade Runner is one of my husbands absolute favorite films, he owns every version that has ever been released, including two copies of a few of those. I'm a fan too, but not quite to that extent. My draw to the sequel was mostly curiosity after having seen the trailer and heard the hype amongst our artist friends, along with being a fan of Ridley Scott and Denis Villeneuve. Greg and I both saw the original in the theater back in 1982, it was one of those films like Star Wars and the Matrix that caused a ripple in artistic direction.
"Ryan Gosling plays an LAPD officer heading for an encounter with Harrison Ford’s Deckard in a film whose sheer scale leaves you hyperventilating" ~ The Guardian
Although Santa Fe, New Mexico isn't quite the "movie town" that Los Angeles is, we do have lots of industry people living here which is most likely why we have an awesome new theater called The Violet Crown Cinema located at the Rail Yard, the new arts district.
So, over a week ago now, we purchased our tickets online and headed over to a 10pm showing after making ourselves a delicious meal. Since Santa Fe tends not to be a "late night" we thought the show would be fairly empty, especially since we were the only ones in the theater when we bought our tickets online. To our surprise, by the time the film started the theater was almost filled from teens to the silver hair community like Greg and myself.
Blade Runner 2049 is an extraordinary visual epic, which had me gasping at rich hued landscapes, in fact I had a hard time keeping my convulsive utterances silent. The set design, use of color, sound and music push this lucid dreamscape into new boundaries of cinematic excellence. Even the opening scene with the Columbia picture logo suggests you are entering something visionary in film history.
The story begins thirty years after the first film in wasteland Los Angeles with Ryan Gosling and his very cool futuristic car. Gosling is an LAPD officer named "KD6.3-7" hunting first generation replicants. As I write this it occurs to me that this film , like the first, is going to be more for men than women Although not quite as patriarchal as the first Blade Runner, this futuristic dystopia is very male driven, despite several strong female characters like Lieutenant Joshi played by Robin Wright. My favorite scene is with a female character we encounter working with an insect in what appears to be a tropical forest, this is the only scene with nature and offers some hope due to her very creative power of imagination.
It's pretty amazing to conceive that the first film was based on the simple short story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Phillip K. Dick. Hmmm, could the middle initial in Phillips name be a reference to our protagonist?
Ryan Goslings character K is subjected to a “Post-Trauma Baseline Test” each time he returns from a mission where he responds to specific key words. The test contains a verse from Nabokov's novel "Pale Fire", a nice little piece thrown in to compound the mystery and captivate book nerds.
I couldn't help but remember of Somni-415 of Cloud Atlas throughout this majestic journey into a surreal nightmare that suggests humans and their need for greed and technology have led is down a very dark future. I didn't have a problem with the length of the film, 152 minutes, in fact I was thrilled that the eye candy continued for as long as it did and delighted in the slow pace of the journey.
What fragrances shall we associate with the dystopic worlds of the Blade Runner films, would they be the same or different? Dark, dusty, melancholic and lifeless are some descriptives that come to mind. Blade Runner 2049 references a tree which made me think of frankincense when I saw it onscreen. Since frankincense has a bit of a dusty element in some varieties that could work nicely as a note to build upon. My fragrances featuring frankincense would be Vespertina and Chaparral, which don't quite work. Perhaps Figure 1: Noir, what do you think?
Images: Stolen movie promotional material from various sites on the internet.
I haven't done a post about the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards since 2013, due to a little window of time today I thought I'd contribute a few impressions about last nights award show.
Besides the massive blunder at the end, I felt the 2017 Oscar show was one of the best ever, at least as far as I can re-call. The goofy dance numbers and most, not all, the boring segments from the past have been removed. Thank you! Jimmy Kimmel's humor as the Master of Ceremonies, was extremely engaging and entertaining, on par with Ellen Degeneres.
The challenge and criticism of Mr. Kimmel, which in complete honesty I didn't even notice, was regarding his remarks in reference to ethic names. The small detail illustrates our evolution in the melting pot of the US. Clearly Jimmy Kimmel is a fairly open minded fellow, but not as conscious as he may think. We are living in an age and a country where respect of individuals and how we refer to them has become more obvious in peoples mind and criticism. The audience is not only those sitting in the audience but a very vocal public which will make there opinion know within seconds due to social media—no one can escape this.
Living in Los Angeles, still the main hub for the motion picture / entertainment industry, conversations relating to the field is in every molecule of the cities air. We breath it in whether we want to or not. Almost all of us living in this city of stars or angels, works in some capacity within the industry or knows people who do. Although I don't "watch" the news, listen to the radio or even forage on facebook, I am constantly hearing from friends, family and acquaintances what is transpiring in the latest TV shows, media outlets, etc.
My daughter Eve attempts to watch most of the films that are getting a buzz and those that are nominated. I, in turn, accompany her to see many of these. One film that I felt was excellent that received absolutely no attention by the Academy was Queen of Katwe.
Why this film was completely shunned is not clear to me, perhaps the film makers and distributors choose not to promote it with the same fervor that the others were. I was convinced that at the very least Lupita Nyong'o's portrayal of a single mother raising her children in a slum in Uganda would have received a nod. As much as I appreciate Emma Stone, her performance was not worthy of the golden statue. I also do not agree with La La Land receiving the award for best cinematography, especially when compared to Arrival, or even Moonlight.
When the nominations were first shared it was generally thought that perhaps the academy had chosen to make a nod toward La La Land because it was up-lifting. Well, hello, did they actually watch Hidden Figures? That was one heck of an uplifting film, and more poignant because it is based on real lives. This is a good reminder of how an "award" does not represent the best work.
MOST INSPIRING ACCEPTANCE SPEECH: Viola Davis, hands down!
I am most thrilled that Moonlight (eventually) won best picture, what a turn in the story, not necessarily very well done though. Generally turns in a story are a good thing in terms of story telling. That massively embarrassing moment at the end is going to be discussed for decades and will most likely show up in a SNL skit.
Another small faux pas was that the academy forgot to include Eliseo Subiela in the In Memoriam Tribute. Eliseo is an Argentine drama-science fiction film writer and director who received an academy award for Hombre Mirando al Sudeste, Man Facing Southeast, in 1986. Regrettably Eliseo left this plane on December 27, 2016.
I wish I could have been a little insect flying around the Dolby, formerly known as the Kodak, theater and sniffed what perfumes were being worn and by who. Perhaps the pre-show commentators will one day ask that question.
Some of the trends I noticed at this years award gala were fishtail gowns, lots of sequins and lace, velvet jackets on the dudes and a couple pretty eclectic hairdos.
"The only way to get rid of my fears is to make films about them."
~ Alfred Hitchcock
When what I perceive as reality becomes a three ring circus I retreat to the inner sanctum of my being and great stories that remind me of the illusion of it all. I've decided not to engage in the current political theater and find a tremendous amount of peace by hanging with my tribe of like minded individuals, made up of a select group of artists and visionaries. I don't believe what I hear in the media and after writing two entire lessons devoted to alchemy for my class on botanical perfume, I've learned how easy humans can be controlled by fear. No thanks, next!
Along those lines, I finally have started watching more Hitchcock films. I know, it's ridiculous, but there you have it.
Alfred Hitchcock was born in on August 13, 1899 in London, England. He was extremely prolific and pioneered many styles of direction that have become a standard in visual storytelling. In 1939 he moved to Hollywood, after having worked as a graphic designer and writer for The Henley Telegraph followed by designing titles for silent films and eventually combining his skills to make films.
His first critical acclaim arrived in 1927 with the film The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, which incorporated expressionistic techniques he had learned in Germany. Vertigo came out in 1958 and is considered by many one of the best films ever made.
The main character Scottie, a newly retired investigator is played by James Stewart opposite the beautiful Kim Novak.
If you have not seen the film I recommend watching it without reading much and then re-watching it once you have read some of the literature about the film. The techniques Hitchcock used throughout the film are quite compelling, particularly when you then realize how he leads you through the scenes with expert direction. I've chosen not to add the trailer here so that, if you haven't seen it, you can have the experience I did.
For those of you with an interest in design, you'll love the opening sequence with graphics designed by Saul Bass, you can see it here: http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/vertigo/ The costumes were done by the infamous Edith Head.
After watching the film head on over to this site for a good read and then watch it again. You'll also start to notice how many modern films use many of the styles Hitchcock evolved.
The latest interpretation of the Scottish play MacBeth stars Michael Fassbender with Marion Cotillard. The scene opens with a breath taking shot of a pale faced child lying on a bleak landscape which the camera slowly pulls out from to reveal a pyre and group of sorrowful faces. A briefly alluded to snippet in this interpretation the violent story of a tyrannical Scot King.
Along with the riveting performances the director Justin Kurzel and cinematographer Adam Arkapaw have created a breathtaking piece of visual poetry. The slow moving adaptation veers from the traditional telling of story, removing and re-imaging scenes like the iconic witches.
Michael Fassbender embodies MacBeth so fiercely and profoundly that it feels like this is the role he was meant to play. At the very least he deserves a nod (nomination), if not oscar, from the his fellow actors who are part of the Academy of Motion Pictures. As a natural progression I am sure that soon he will follow up this film performance with one live on stage.
The contrast in the color script moving from pale foggy gray with small strokes of yellow to the fiery oranges and reds of war and savagery with languid wails of the hurly burley adding more depth to a cinematically beautiful piece of dark artistry.
In 2009 fashion icon Tom Ford made his directorial debut with the gorgeous film A Single Man. Our man, who happens to be single, is the meticulous and handsome George, impeccably played by Colin Firth. The film is adapted from the 1964 novel by the writer Christopher Isherwood.
Winner of several awards, the beautifully styled portrait is one of those little gems of film and story that the masses seemed to be fairly ignorant of. In our household we devoured it like a freshly made key lime pie, I invite you to do the same.
Tom Ford is representative of those rare individuals that that has such a clear sense of design and vision that he appears to effortlessly move from one visual medium to another. Besides being extremely handsome, containing exemplary taste and attention to detail he is also an extremely warm and charismatic individual.
The costume designer for A Single Man is Arianne Phillips, best known for being Madonna's stylist. Ms Phillips has received Oscar nominations for Walk the Line and W.E. She is currently working with Tom on his next film Noctural Animals based on the book Tony and Susan.
Just before heading out to NYC, by chance, I was asked to be part of a feature film. It was a random, rather auspicious stroke of luck which I actually declined on and then after further persuasion said yes. The bummer is that the film will most likely not come out for more than and year, I signed a confidentiality agreement and there's always the fate of the cutting room floor.
Thus, until the film starts gets some traction in the media, I'll post a few bread crumbs for those of you who are really paying attention.
Last night we met friends at Cafe Carolina for a delicious meal of gnocchi and filet of sole braised with crushed tomatoes, black olives, capers, garlic, and basil followed by a coconut and cashew torte for dessert. After enjoying a very satisfying meal and catching up on all our various adventures we headed further east to the 8:55pm showing of The Martian at the Arclight Cinema. My draw to the film was Matt Damon, I've adored him as an actor since GoodWill Hunting and The Bourne Identity.
The Martian is an intimate yet epic, outer space survival film set on Mars with themes of courage, tenacity and teamwork. The opening scene is set on the bleak landscape of the red planet with the astronauts gathering soil samples. Immediately one is struck by the awesome visuals coupled with warm, fun interplay between the crew members.
During the film Greg whispered to me, have you noticed the color scripting? I hadn't consciously noticed the shift in hues until he mentioned it, then I instantly became aware of the warm and dusty terrain with Matt Damon as Mark Watney versus the steely blue, grays on plant Earth and the Hermes space craft.
Based on Andy Weir’s fiction novel and with screenwriter Drew Goddard’s very geek-centric adaptation Ridley Scott once again manages to enthrall us with a heroic journey set on Mars. The character Mark Watley is a NASA botanist who is left behind by his fellow crew mates during a fierce sandstorm.
The botany piece and my feeling of being an astronaut each time I step into my bee suit had me even more invested in the thrilling adventure. Part of great story telling is when we can identify with characters. Don't we all want to be as courageous and savvy as Mark, work with a team of like minded people for something bigger than ourselves?
As you readers know, I am attracted to films that are crafted with beauty, content and leave you thinking. Add in some geekery with a courageous, inspiring character converts me to a fanatic! However, there were two items that left cold, the first is this obsession big industry has with its interest in colonizing other planets instead of focusing and fixing the problems they, the industrial complex, has created here on planet earth. I am not cool with going to a new planet and basically destroying it for wealth and profit. This film, along with Interstellar gave me a bit of that feeling which I find extremely uncomfortable and distressing.
The second item I found offensive was the statement after the long list of credits that stated something like this: This film created over 15,000 jobs. The part the was blatantly omitted from that sentence is the word overseas, not in the US. Clearly all big budget films create lots of jobs (!), how about keeping them in the US where people are in need of employment instead of farming them out so that the profit margins can be higher for movie execs? Hello!?!
What fragrances shall we associate with dystopic Mars? I've heard that space smells "metallic" which isn't something easily found in botanical perfume. Aldehydes, in essential oils like Lemongrass, fall into a metallic arena as well as some spices which in turn would tie into Mars nicely.
Images: Stolen movie promotional material from various sites on the internet.
I had set this post to automatically publish and see now that it never happened. I apologize for the delay.
For the Blossoms of Summer event last month on a very balmy evening we debuted the two new illuminations by Greg within a little video projected onto fabric just outside my workshop. Here are a few photos of the evening highlights and the video for those of you who were not able to attend the launch party.
Mellifera and Fleurish exist in all three formats: solid, Eau de Parfum (EdP) and parfum extract. I'm rather loving the Fleurish EdP, is become a daily obsession. At the launch, I observed to see if there was one that was more popular than the other, what I discovered is that people liked both of them equally. There were the "Mellifera" peeps and the "Fleurish" peeps, no cross over, it was either one or the other for the most part.
The fabulous savory delights were provided by Gina of Blue Table with mead supplied by Golden Coast Mead. Our dear friend Fritz was the musical director which filled the atrium quite nicely. At 10:00 pm attendees grabbed drums, rattles and shakers to join in a drum circle.
Urban bee keeping in Los Angeles was finally legalized which makes the timing of the debut of Mellifera rather auspicious.
Rarely does an event invitation arrive in my inbox where I feel compelled to attend, such was the case when I received an invite to attend a private screening of The Nose: Searching for Blamage. I immediately RSVP'd YES for Greg, Eve and I without a second thought, it was pure instinct.
Thus last Friday evening, instead of heading to Whizin for the monthly Street Art Live event, we set off in the opposite direction to Raleigh Studios for the private screening of The Nose: Searching for Blamage in Hollywood.
Upon arriving we were instructed to "wait" at the on lot cafe/bar amongst a crowd of well dressed professionals in expensive suits strongly scented in woody-type fragrances. Later that evening, it occurred to me that some of the suits probably worked at the Barneys perfume counter and other similar locations.
I spotted the "nose" of the hour immediately by the large magenta colored dahlia on his white jacket and the festive hat. His name is Alessandro Gaultieri, an Italian born niche perfumer who after creating fragrances for a few giants in the fashion industry (Fendi, Versace, Helmut Lang, Diesel, to name a few) choose to launch Nasomatto, his own brand.
I knew nothing of this, or his perfumes, except for what I had seen in the trailer of the film we were about to see.
Gualtieri exudes charismatic Italian charm with a very healthy ego and perhaps a bit of genius. One of my friends, who had come along with us, referred to him as an Alpha Male. He currently lives in the Netherlands, where he has a beautiful studio saturated with natural light. The film we were patiently waiting to see, by director Paul Rigter, documents the making of a perfume titled Blamage.
Mr. Rigter followed Alessandro as he reluctantly set out to design the tenth and final fragrance for Gualtieri's Nasomatto Perfume House.
The film begins with a plaster cast blindfold over Alessandro's eyes and nose, excluding his nostrils. He is led to his organ to select four ingredients that begin his quest for the creation of Blamage. I'd never heard of the four ingredients he randomly selected and assume they are all synthetic by the name and also by the fact that all the bottles were clear. Essential oils are usually colored, and stored in dark glass because they are light sensitive.
The name Blamage is loosely translated as mistake or disgrace. In the opening of the film Alessandro speaks about how some famous perfumes, such as Poison by Dior were accidents in a lab from the addition of too much of an ingredient.
My husband Greg calls this a "happy accident" and relies on them quite a bit. Once the blindfold is removed Alessandro sees what he has chosen and remarks “Cazzo!” which translates as a vulgar version of penis. Later we learn that he is quite irreverent and appears to rather enjoy heavy indolic odors of the human body.
Alessandro is a walking, complex contradiction – he is beautiful with piercing sky blue eyes, extremely creative, warm and magnetic juxtaposed by his shadow side. Like many perfumers, he holds a fascination for the darker or cheeky aspects of human aromas and our bodily fluids. Somewhere online I read that his spokesperson, probably Rita, said:
"In the body the parts that smell more, that is where the soul is more present, but now our society says this smell must not be present because the soul must not be present." This sentiment was echoed by Gaultieri, who chimed in with "I'm sick of all this hygiene shit"
Sure Alessandro, I get where you are coming from, particularly as an artist and a perfumer. However, if you smelled of shit at the film screening I most likely would not had wanted to hold your hands and gaze into your hypnotically, enchanting eyes.
Mr. Rigter traveled with Alessandro to Delhi in India, the Esxence perfume show in Milan and the middle east. The caption for the film reads:
"Witness the adventurous quest for a new perfume, called Blamage, by rebel perfumer Alessandro Gualtieri aka The Nose. He wants to design this fragrance by abandoning all the common rules for designing perfumes. For inspiration he travels around the world, but the farther he goes, the more he seems to disrupt not only his environment but also himself. Will Blamage turn out to become the perfect mistake?"
I had incorrectly interpreted that the quest was a search for raw ingredients, probably a projection on my part. Since his fragrances are most likely synthetic, the use of pure sandalwood oil from India, or the newer distillations coming out of Hawaii and New Caledonia would be impossible for a fragrance house selling such large volume of perfume under strict IFRA regulations. Thus, his search throughout the film is for inspiration not actual ingredients that would go into the fragrance. I am speculating at what raw materials he uses because he refuses to disclose information regarding notes and/or ingredients.
In one scene, while Alessandro walks through the crowded, dusty streets of Delhi he encounters a store with perfume knockoffs, one of them is his popular fragrance Black Afgano. His reaction to testing the knockoff with the vendor in site, is absolutely priceless.
Paul Rigter, the film maker behind the lens of the 52 minute documentary, both wrote and directed the piece which was stopped before the final version of Blamage was finished. Mr. Rigter perfectly captures all the qualities that make Alessandro so unique: magnetic, lovable, quite fun, retrospective. He is a pleasure to watch throughout the film, despite his somewhat vulgar characteristics.
Within the screening room, a fragrant handkerchief was draped over the top of each velvety seat. We picked ours up and inhaled, I immediately picked up notes of citrus and herb, as I tuned into them more deeply, I began to think perhaps neroli and something that reminded me of celery.
After the screening, when Alessandro came back into the room, he told the crowd that he had a game for us and shared that behind everyones head there was a handkerchief, which had been sprayed with a perfume, except one. The exception contained Blamage and the person who could discover which handkerchief has Blamage will receive a bottle as a gift. The young gal seated behind us was the lucky winner of the bottle.
I asked what was on all the other handkerchiefs, mentioning that I perceived notes of neroli and celery, Alessandro replied that people shouldn't get hung up of perfume notes and ingredients, that when we look at a painting we don't ask what the materials are, we experience the piece. Indeed, I can see where he is coming from, however mentioning a few notes AFTER asking about how the perfume makes one feel or what notes one is picking up would engage us in the story a bit more.
I left the event with no idea what fragrance was on the handkerchief. I was convinced that it must be another version of Blamage because Eve, Greg and I...as well as my purse and house reek of an indolic, smoky sandalwood which I thought for sure was how Blamage would smell. Saskia, the organizer of the event, informed me that Bergamask, from Gualtieri's new House, Otro Parisi, was on the handkerchiefs that were not scented with Blamage.
Ah-hah, no wonder Alesandro didn't want to talk about it, but also how intriguing that the event contained the last perfume for one House and the first perfume for a new one. Bergamask has a very a sharp citrus note on the handkerchief but the dry down is what makes it super interesting to me, it's almost narcotic due to those heavy, rich, dark and burning incense notes.
In 2014, with the completion of Nasomatto, Alessandro revealed his creation of Orto Parisi. The name of the perfume house is inspired by 'orto' which means garden combined with the last name of his grandfather 'Vincenzo Parisi'. According to Alessandro "We don't talk about the notes but in all of them there are two main animal notes. This is not to cover our smells but to put another layer on."
His booth at the Excense show in Milan showcased a furry, defecating hairy creature. The five fragrances debuted in that line were: Bergamask, Viride, Brutus, Stercus and Boccanera, all of them were presented on a compressed bed of horse manure.
Here is the trailer that is on YouTube, there is a much better one on Vimeo where you can also watch the film on demand.
"I begin to make something but at a certain point, it starts making choices by itself. It is the process that interests and guides me. I like the feeling of loosing control and I’m not the one making the choices. My involvement is to create something that is alive and will be able to say new things. I want my perfumes to have an intelligence of their own, not just be slaves to my meaning."
~ Alessandro Gualtieri
The Manchurian Candidate was originally made into a film in 1962 starring Frank Sinatra, the 1959 political thriller is based on a novel by Richard Condon. Last night we watched the 2004 version starring Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep with direction from Jonathan Demme.
I found the story to be brilliant and now want to see the original. If this were remade in 2015 we could title it The Monsanto Candidate and have a reference to Hilary Clinton. Another film in this genre is the brilliant Michael Clayton.
The thing I'm wondering is when are Americans going to wake up? How many films need to be made on this topic before, as a collective, we see the truth? I'm feeling really hopeful with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders coming on the seen. What is most interesting is that he represents matriarchal principals: nature, art, consciousness, right brain, humanity so much more than the GMO aligned democratic rival Hilary Clinton.
I've been waiting for what seems like ages for Oblivion to appear on Netflix since I missed it in the theaters. It seems like whenever we sit down to see a movie I crave action/adventure/sci-fi, which luckily Greg and Eve don't seem to mind, too much. The other night when I was whining about Oblivion not being on Netflix, my darling daughter found it at the library. (Side note: Eve is doing her filed work term here in Los Angeles working at the historic Central Library on Fifth Street in downtown LA.)
Oblivion was released in 2013, its based on a beautiful unpublished graphic novel by Joseph Kosinski, who went on the co-write, produce and direct the film.
I was captivated immediately by the visuals, its complete and utter glorious eye candy. The art direction is so seamless that I never questioned the plausibility this the post-apocalyptic landscapes and futuristic design and lifestyle of 2077.
Within the first five minutes I could tell I was going to be happy, and so many scenes reminded me of our artists friends we hang with at Spectrum and Comic Con! Besides the striking visuals the film is superbly acted by Tom Cruise as Jack Harper and Andrea Riseborough (We) as his partner and lover Victoria "Vika" Olsen. Despite these two pretty big components working at a high level the story is just okay, good but not great. The film felt a bit derivative, in the way Harry Potter is derivative, I was willing to let it go because I was extremely captivated and absorbed. There is so much beauty in the dualism of cinematic futurism paired with desolate Earth.
The thing about these type of films is that I can see how this future can easily manifest, particularly with how completely naive the population is and that StarScientific has fusion energy generators in Australia.
The film that Oblivion is most like is probably Moon with Sam Rockwell, but there are also nods to 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Matrix, (specifically Morgan Freeman's character is so very Morpheus-like.) Prometheus, a little Blade Runner and Minority Report. Given that all those films mentioned are some of my favorites it's a no brainer why I liked Oblivion.
What scents would I equate with this film...something cold and metallic (Figure 1:Noir) for the future paired with a bit of Earth (Terrestre) and some conifers with fresh, sweet mountain air (Sierra).
Yesterday my daughter Eve turned twenty two (gulp!), so we headed into downtown Los Angeles for some fun. First we went to Shareen, a vintage women's clothing store where no boys are allowed, on North Spring Street.
"Shareen Downtown is the creative center of a secret society of women who love to be at the cutting edge of fashion trends. It is a 7,000 sq. ft. “no boys allowed” fashion wonderland. Its sister store in NY is a haven tucked away in a cozy apartment in Chelsea."
The majority of items offered are bridal with an eclectic mix of 50's - 80's dresses, some of Shareens own designs and a section which is not for sale titled design inspiration.
From there our adventure moved onto Chinatown, which doesn't quite compare to the one in San Francisco. How favorite places were the herbal shops, which regrettably didn't want all their cool jars photographed.
The area felt a bit like an abandoned theme park, perhaps because it was Tuesday afternoon or its just lost its luster over the years.
Next stop was The Last Bookstore on South Spring Street in the heart of downtown. This is a treasure, in terms of eye candy, which I was not familiar with.
Housed on the ground floor of the Spring Arts Tower, the 20,000 square foot space offers new and used books, vinyl records and graphic novels.
On the huge mezzanine level, visible from the ground floor of the bookstore, the splendor continues with a visual cacophony including the Gather yarn shop, the Labyrinth Above the Last Bookstore and the Spring Arts Collective gallery shops.
I had spotted the mezzanine level but didn't quite get my interest sparked until I saw word YARN and heard two guys talking about the upstairs. As I ascended the stairs it became clear that up here was where the adventure truly begins! Not only is there the yarn shop Gather, but there little artist studios, displays and as mentioned previously a few labyrinths of books.
I definitely had the impression of falling down a rabbit hole. The bookstore is auspiciously close to the Bradbury Building, where Blade Runner was filmed, thus the final, climatic scene with the replicants amongst antiquated imagery was vivid in my mind as I wondered about.
As we walked back to the car, just as it had turned dark and all the night creatures of downtown were emerging, we couldn't quite help thinking that the area is ripe for storytellers and character sketches.
Next on our adventure was Little Toyko, where we stopped into the Weller Court to go to the Kinokuniya Bookstore and the Marukai Japanese supermarket for provisions. From there we headed west to Abbot Kinney in Venice for dinner at Gjelina, which was spectacular to say the least!
