World of Scent
The World of Scent is devoted to the invisible yet deeply resonant sense of smell. It reveals how fragrances can evoke memories, emotions and images – and how, for people who are blind, they become a unique form of perception and orientation.
The exhibit begins with a philosophical reflection on scent as a universal language. Under the title “The soul of all beings is their scent”, fragrance is understood as an expression of resonance and inner harmony – a force that transforms us and connects us to the world. Here, scent appears as something alive, spiritual and sensual at once: a key to the hidden layers of existence.
The section “Students’ Perceptions of Scent” presents contemporary approaches to this sensory experience. In a creative project, three blind students describe their impressions of different perfumes – interwoven with music, nature, memories and emotions. Their reflections demonstrate that everyone experiences scent in an individual way, and that the sense of smell opens doors to inner worlds.
A third part focuses on Louis Braille’s senses of touch and smell. Everyday stories show how Braille, with the help of his mother – Monique Braille – was able as a child to distinguish plants, materials and even colours solely by smelling and touching them. These early experiences shaped his understanding of perception and knowledge, illustrating how closely sensitivity and insight are intertwined.
The exhibit concludes with scent quotations from poets, perfumers and philosophers, expanding the theme in a poetic dimension. Statements by Victor Hugo, Coco Chanel, Jean-Claude Ellena and Marcel Proust highlight the cultural and emotional significance of scent – as the poetry of the senses, the invisible dress, and the language of memory.
Together, these sub-objects reveal that scents are far more than fleeting sensations: they are bridges between body and mind, memory and presence, the visible and the invisible. The World of Scent invites a new way of thinking about perception – not through the eyes, but through the nose.
Patrick Süskind once put it beautifully – and it's true.
A tailor-made fragrance doesn't just appeal to our nose. It touches our receptors, sends impulses to our brain, awakens memories, evokes images, creates signals and directs our attention to the hidden beauties of life.
Fragrances open doors to our world of longing, where we exist beyond good and evil. Like every living being and likeonly a few materials on this earth, they carry their own resonance within them.
Resonance is a spontaneously triggered phenomenon. It acts from within itself, moving the world without coercion – not like a power or revolution, but like a silent evolution. Such fragrance resonance unfolds when the nose encounters it. Then we feel a piece of truthfulness, formlessness, the silent power of being. This power can transform us, not only in our perception. That is alchemy.
A fragrance can be anything: a poem, a story, a picture, a whole world. It is simple and at the same time infinitely complex. It is time itself – existing only in the present and yet timeless.
Fragrance is a language that reaches each person in an individual way: sometimes quiet, barely audible, sometimes powerful and loud. It remains free of prejudice, untouched by judgement. It is pure being.
Scent is sacred. Scent is pure like water, like clouds, like ambrosia. It is pure innocence, and this innocence also lives within us. It is awakened by scent, becoming audible, alive, tangible. This is the chemistry of encounter.
This is exactly the kind of encounter that happens when Yogesh smells a person's neck. For him, scent is a key: it reveals which of the four elements are particularly strong in the body and which are rather weak. An imbalance often manifests itself in irritability, discomfort or inner immobility.
Yogesh uses the base notes to harmonise and balance the elements. He then combines them with the heart notes – and thus creates a fragrance as unique as the soul that wears it.
Students' perceptions of scent
Foreword
Smells evoke memories, feelings and images – even if you cannot see them. As part of a project, three blind students smelled different scents and described their personal impressions. Their perceptions show how strongly scents are linked to emotions, music, experiences of nature and memories.
The following texts are direct, individual scent associations that were collected for our exhibition. They make it clear that everyone experiences scents in their own unique way.
SCENT: Reminiscences of Childhood
Xenia:
I know this scent – a floral scent, more for older women. I associate it with music, with G sharp notes. It smells a little like lilac. I can smell it in my nose and mouth, but especially in my nose. It reminds me of my teacher, who taught us about ‘art and the environment’, the Cinderella remix, nature, laughter, lots of music. Later, the scent fades...
Dajana:
Ah, a floral scent. I feel relaxed, a sense of lightness in my forehead. It smells like the forest and makes me happy. I think my girlfriend used to wear a scent like this. When I was a teenager, lots of people wore scents like this. I was cheeky back then, didn't feel like studying and just wanted to spend time with my friends. School made me feel young and free. The scent is especially noticeable in my nose. I would like to have a cup of tea now...
David:
I feel relaxed. The scent goes into my chest, my heart beats faster. It cools me down and reminds me of essential oils, like the ones I know from home. I want to go home; it reminds me of the sauna. The scent inspires me to smell the oils again at home...
--> What are your perceptions?
SCENT: Silent Conquest
Xenia:
The scent is familiar to me. I can smell it in my nose and throat. It makes me laugh, it seems feels funny. I associate it more with relaxation music. It smells like a wellness area. The scent is aggressive to the nose, but at the same time it relaxes me and makes me thoughtful. I would like to take a bath. It reminds me of body butter with a slight hint of lemon – and faster music...
Dajana:
A floral association, very strong, and especially in the nose. I feel relaxed. The scent smells like nature. I think of chirping birds, I would like to go for a walk. I am completely relaxed, thinking of the forest. The scent brings lightness, a carefree mood. Now I want to change the scent...
David:
It smells like lavender and makes me more active. I would like to go for a walk. The scent gives me a feeling of security. I feel it most strongly in my stomach. Now I'm hungry. A lavender-like tone is strongly present...
--> What are your perceptions?
SCENT: Lemon Flower
Xenia:
It smells like soap – a strong smell. I associate it with upbeat music. It reminds me of hand soap; I once had an oval shaped fruity soap. The scent also smells like baby wipes. First I smell it in my nose, then it lingers in my throat. I feel tense. There is a slight citrus note, like in a ‘Nimm 2’ sweet...
Dajana:
I think it's lemon. First, the scent goes into my nose, then into my throat. I would like to drink a lemonade, maybe with honey. It smells like bathing or showering and makes me feel lively. The scent has a certain freshness. Someone could be sitting next to me with a scent like this. It relaxes me – and at the same time, I would like to go to sleep...
David:
Well, it smells interesting. I want to understand the scent. I associate it with a high-pitched sound, almost like brass music. At the same time, it makes me nervous. The perfume could be my grandmother's. It smells fruity, but not like lemon. I would like to eat raspberries...
--> What are your perceptions?
Conclusion
The texts show how differently and vividly scents are perceived. They range from childhood memories and images of nature to music and feelings such as security, relaxation or nervousness. This collection makes it clear that scents are much more than just smells – they are gateways to inner worlds.
Illustration: Scent Perceptions by Students
Monique Braille (Louis Braille's mother) made it a habit to let blind Louis do things when she thought it was necessary for him. Together, they identified trees, birds and flowers by smell and touch. Louis had developed an extraordinary sense of touch and smell, and when his task was to pick poppies, his basket contained nothing but poppies! In his father's workshop, he sorted leather items by thickness and colour, again only by smell and touch. Who knows, if he hadn't been so passionate about gaining access to knowledge, he might have become a good ‘nose’.
Illustration: Poppies
1 ‘One sees well only with the nose; what is essential is invisible to the eyes.‘
Loosely based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
(This modified quote from Saint-Exupéry is a tribute to the art of fragrance.)
2 ‘Your scent blows through the universe just once... ‘
Yogesh
3 ‘Nothing awakens a memory like a smell’
Victor Hugo
4 ’The sense of smell is the poetry of the senses.’
Honoré de Balzac
5 ’Close your eyes - and the world becomes visible.’
6 What would fragrances be without the nose?
’Without the nose, the world would be only half as beautiful. ’
Unknown (perfumer tradition)
7 ’Perfume is an invisible but unforgettable dress.’
Coco Chanel
8 ’Fragrances are like music for the nose.’
Jean-Claude Ellena
(master perfumer at Hermès)
9 ’Scents are the language of memory.’
Marcel Proust
(known for the Madeleine episode in ’In Search of Lost Time’)
10 ’A person's scent reveals more about them than their handwriting.’
Christian Dior
11 ’The scent is the intelligence of flowers.’
Henry de Montherlant
12 ’The nose is the musician, the scents are its notes.’
Yves Saint Laurent (attributed)