French museums have begun integrating scent into their exhibitions to create immersive experiences. The Musée national de la Marine features an oil scent installation related to environmental issues, while Nice's Musée national Marc Chagall collaborated with perfumers to craft scents inspired by art. However, not all visitors have responded positively; some have found the scents distracting or irrelevant, exemplified at the Éternel Mucha show where fragrances were criticized for lacking connection to the art they were meant to represent.
"Odours are never imposed on the public," Delphine Rabat, an interior designer and the head of the Casson Mann agency, which contributed to the 2023 revamp, told France Culture. "Visitors are warned when smells may be a little disturbing."
"Perfume-making is an art, and perfumers are artists," says Grégory Couderc, the museum's scientific manager, about the unique approach of integrating scent with visual art.
"I don't see how a blend of rose, camellia and jasmine evokes their friendship," said one French art critic. "I found it even more distressing to have to stick my nose into the perfume."
#museum-exhibitions #scent-integration #visitor-experience #art-and-sensory #environmental-awareness
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