Pierre Wulff’s latest masterpiece takes sensory synergy to a whole new level

Scents only exist in one dimension of our sensory world. Despite their power to transport to other times and places, and elicit very specific feelings, scents are limited in how we can perceive them. That being said, what happens when you introduce scent to the world of visuals and tactility? The answer: pure magic. The more specific answer: Scents & Senses.

Scents & Senses is a unique exhibition from perfumer Pierre Wulff, fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon and silversmith Sebastian Schild, that recently took over Schild's gallery in Stockholm. The collaboration, which united the very best from the worlds of photography, mouth-blown glass vases and bespoke perfumes, for a symphonic and evocative art experience.

“The idea came from Sebastian, he first contacted me,” Wulff explains to me, as we stand outside the gallery. Speaking about the first stages of the collaboration, he says, “we didn't know each other – they contacted me while I was in New York. Sebastian first had this idea of him making containers and I should do the perfume, but I really was not interested. After that, we had a bit of a back and forth, and I asked him, 'why don't we do it in a three-dimensional way?’" That was the true beginning of the collaboration.

It was Wulff's suggestion that Bensimon be involved. “I told him, ‘I have a very good friend, one of the greatest photographers. He has done flowers in water, and you can kind of create containers for them'," he says. "From there, we decided to take out the silver and make it into glass. I spoke with Gilles and he just said he loved the idea. We went to the Hamptons and in a pool there, started shooting thousands of pictures of flowers. We’d go out every morning to buy more. Then I, based on the colours, more so than the flowers in the photo, I would create different fragrances together with a perfumer that I work with every day."

In total, Wulff ended up creating eight bespoke fragrances that were inspired by eight individual pictures by Bensimon, and accompanied by eight custom-made flasks by Schild. All are available for purchase, but with one catch: they come together. This particular detail means the scent is always accompanied by the glass sculpture and the image – ensuring that the universe stayed complete and the rich, multidimensional experience remains intact.

Enquire at Galleri Sebastian Schild, Strandvägen 5B, Stockholm, to discover more and purchase pieces from the collaboration.