Christophe Laudamiel: Perfume in a Poem

In a Station of the Metro

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
-Ezra Pound-

In a Station of the Metro
Re:Mix, Real:Mix, Reel:Mix


A gulping blackhole towards a shiny blackbody

Only fourteen ingredients, top, bottom, no-body,

Two dark ones,

Twelve others dancing on top, not blending with these ones,

Easier said than done

Like a dozen feux-follets dancing on a gravestone.

Cocoa for somber complication, and Jabuticaba for golden honey supplication

As only natural inspiration.

The rest: gloomy mineral foundations

Clashing with twelve myriads of apologetic-looking perspirations.


Christophe Laudamiel
for Heather Ettlinger's project, 2008

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Editor's Note:

Because of his outspoken personality and ceaseless experimentation, Christophe Laudamiel has been described as an "envelope-pusher" and the "enfant terrible" of contemporary perfumery.  A world-class chemist who has taught at Harvard and MIT, he holds multiple patents and has been a fine fragrance perfumer at International Flavors & Fragrances since 2000.  Christophe is the "nose" behind such huge successes as Clinique Happy Heart, Michael Kors Island (with Loc Dong), Estee Lauder Youth Dew Amber Nude, Ralph Lauren Polo Blue for Men (with Carlos Benaim), Theo Fennel for Women, and many others. 

Not only is he a highly-regarded "industry insider," he is also an artist and has collaborated with fellow artists and perfumers on concepts such as the "Iconosms" installation with Christoph Hornetz (together they are known as "Les Christophs"); the coffret of scents inspired by the Patrick Süskind book and movie Perfume for Thierry Mugler (again with Christoph Hornetz); and several collaborations with artist Nobi Shioya (Sacre Nobi) for the Shaping Room / S-Perfume concept, including S-Ex, S-Perfume remix, and 7 (Avarice).

I came to know Christophe Laudamiel through a mutual friend, fragrance consultant and writer Michelle Krell Kydd, whose discussion of the Perfume cinematic scent coffret and interview with Christophe were featured in the January 2007 newsletter and March 2007 issue of Perfumer & Flavorist Magazine.  Just as I was beginning to put together an article about la fee verte absinthe in literature and perfume, Michelle introduced me to Christophe's gorgeous, enchanting creation for Harry Slatkin, Black Fig & Absinthe, and recommended that I talk to him about his literary interests and unique approach to perfumery.  With characteristic candor, energy, and charm, Christophe welcomed my questions and even shared his favorite poem with me.  On April 6, we'll feature this poem (hint: it's Rimbaud!) and his thoughts on literature, perfumery, and the creative process.  One area of our discussion is perfectly timed for inclusion in this post on Easter Sunday:

Heather: "I recently watched an interview with Jean-Paul Guerlain in which he recounted an early scent memory of a tarte aux fraises that his mother bought him for his birthday during a particularly tumultuous time in his childhood.  What are some of your early scent memories?  In what way do your scent memories influence your work as a perfumer?"

Christophe: "I am fascinating by the scent of tulips.  First you will notice that many people, even in the perfume industry, will say "tulips don't smell." Well, yes they do and you cannot miss it.  Or they will say "tulips just smell green." Yes, but not only green.

"I find the scent of tulips fabulous because each time I smell tulips, I cannot remove from my eyes pictures of colorful Easter eggs.  For me, tulips smell of Easter eggs, even though Easter eggs do not smell (in the shell) or at best, smell of chocolate.  It is a weird association, I know. But in this case, I cannot detach myself from the association that "tulips smell of Easter eggs" although Easter eggs don't actually smell.  The imprint on the mind is extremely strong.

"Explanation: as children, we would always look for Easter eggs in the garden, and it was always the time of a big family reunion, and the time when tulips were blooming in the garden where the eggs had fallen from the sky, and also my grandfather--a tulip freak, I don't know why--would always bring home a huge bouquet of tulips for Easter family lunch.

"As a perfumer, scent memories allow you to be creative, allow you to create retro fragrances or to play with nostalgia, which is always a feel-good experience for you or your customers.  Scent memories, usually associated with nature or with some fabulous scent, provide you with quality references and create challenges for you, allowing you to reach for greater things.

"Also note that one also has to be aware of his or her own scent memories because they condition you in appreciating or depreciating a new creation. One has to learn how to smell independently from his or her own personal emotions when it is necessary to provide a non-biased critique about a fragrance."

When Christophe sent me his contribution to the Perfume in a Poem project, he finished his email with two playfully poetic lines:

"My English is not my mother tongue,
let alone in a poetic way, but would that be ok?"

I told him it was perfect, and suggested that readers would want to know a lot more about those fourteen mysterious notes, including twelve intriguing feux-follets ("ghostly lights" or "will o' the wisps") such as the Brazilian fruit tree Jabuticaba. (Click here for some extraordinary pictures of the Jabuticaba tree.)  His answer was a good-natured tease:

"One day when I have time (or if they give me money), I'll create the fragrance and will explain all the why's inside this poem.  There are a lot of concepts and notes packed inside this poem.  Some are perfumistic, some are literary, some are aesthetic, some are winks, etc... I could write a whole essay about it."

A sample of Christophe's marvelous and hard-to-find Black Fig & Absinthe eau de parfum (also known simply as Absinthe), created for the Slatkin & Co. line (and a favorite "secret weapon" scent for Harry Slatkin himself), will be included in our fabulous March 31 giveaway package.  Other products such as the the Black Fig & Absinthe candle and body product line are available at Nieman Marcus,  Bergdorf Goodman, and Amazon.

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Credits:

• Photo of Christophe Laudamiel provided by the artist and used with his permission.
• "Tulpen foto" by Elke Klefisch, Norbert Schikowski of KUSTeam Fotodesign.

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Comments are encouraged!  Please read the initial post in this series for the details on our extraordinary giveaway which will take place on March 31.

Comments

[HeatherMaville]

I would have loved CL's poem, even without further explanation! Scent and poetry go together so naturally, as you've proven here time and time again Heather. Of course, tulips do have a very distinct smell above and beyond mere verdure. The smell that comes closest is the flowery aspect of really fine chocolate. And, really, this is only my own memory of my mother's tulips. I'm certain that others grew up around different cultivars in different regions with different aromas. For those of us in the hard, cold northeast there is nothing like those first few tulips in the spring. Thank you for a beautiful post, Christophe and Heather!

[Nicole Meredith]

love the image of twelve notes that won't simply meld with these two basenotes dancing on them like dancing on gravestones! fantastical, funny. thanks xx.

[Ben]

One of the interesting sub-themes of this project seems to be the issue of English, our world's current semi-lingua franca. Of course even those perfumers who apologize for their English seem to speak, read, and write it quite well! Also loved the discussion of the scent of tulips and the odd way that scent memories work.

[Monica]

Man... where was I when he was at MIT? Guess everyone find their own paths to developing his/her nose =) Somebody give him money to create this fragrance already!

[March]

Lurve Black Fig & Absinthe, and CL's poem. I will quibble with his statement that Easter Eggs smell like nothing, though -- they may smell like dye, sulphur, sugar, marzipan, foil or chocolate, depending ;-)

[rachael]

I love the poem, and the smell of tulips. I can't believe anyone would say they smell like nothing! Beautiful floral, and the connotations of spring, easter mass, sunshine!

[Nathalie]

What a creative mind! Je suis sous le charme! Besides I am a Rimbaud lover myself. Scents and words are strongly accointed (I don't know if this word is english?). Especially in the poetry where rythm is so important. Words "suggests" rather than "demonstrate" exactly like perfumes, they both touch us intimatly and deeply, but they let a lot of room for each individual to imagine.

[pavlova]

"Scent memories" -- what a lovely way to transcend traditional language. And, moreover, with this project to create new scents from memory -- either real or imagined.

[Tatyana]

Well, that's certainly very original and intriguing! And the image of will o' the wisps dancing on the gravestones is straight out of a Neil Gaiman fantasy:)

And I love tulips!

[chayaruchama]

Hoo-hah!

What a jolt- visceral and depictive.
Love its graphic nature, and dark humor [ all puns intended].

[risa]

i'm terribly impressed with this poemage! what a lovely set of sensual impressions...

[Lavanya]

" A gulping blackhole......twelve others dancing on the top"- lovely!!

[Darlene Johnson]

The Brazilian Jabuticaba fruit tree is an amazing sight, I wanted to read more about it but couldn't get it to fully load in english which was strange?

and Christophe, I'd love to get my hands on your Black Fig & Absinthe someday -yummy!

[Claudia]

I love the poem! What a unique description of the fragrance. I read it several times and enjoyed it more each time. Would love to smell this one!

[Ruth Ruane]

I read this one twice. A cryptic interpretation, but here is a perfumer, I would guess, who thinks in cryptograms that not a lot of people get the first or even the second time around. There's a lot left up to the imagination here. I love his hairdo but I wish I had more details about what the notes are in the perfume.

[Catalina Castells]

The depth here is tremendous. I am tempted to print it out and read it over and over again. Maybe even post it near my oils as inspiration.

[Roxana]

This contribution really spoke to me in a way that is beyond words. I especially liked the "Clashing with twelve myriads of apologetic-looking perspirations". It is really fitting to the odor-scape in my memory of the Paris metro. The NYC subway in contrast would have a distinctive "urine" note.

[sylvia]

the interview is fascinating! especially the part about tulips as easter eggs. i also love the idea of a slightly discordant collection of notes. to me, i see the pink (in my mind) blossoms sticking out in HD focus while the black bough is murkier and fuzzier. there is no way to blend one into the other. i see it literally as a branch with flowers.

[John H. White, PhD]

I am so very sorry I will miss CL's lecture in Detroit today. A celebration for DDay is in place instead. As a psychotherapist I know the effects of scent on personality and mentality. Merci' CL.
Dr. Jean Blanc

[Amarige lady]

The notes and interview, go a long way to helping me get more meaning out of the poem. Great post thanks.