Exhibition — My life in textiles (2017 - 2020)
Merry House. Place of citizen memory. Magog (Quebec)
Hymn to the weavers
2017 / 2020
Olfactory art installation
1 fragrance, wood and mixed materials
By Alexandra Bachand
Visual artist and perfumer |
"As an artist, I believe that nothing is more symbolic and powerful than putting your art at the service of your community or its history. As a perfumer, I had the honor of creating an olfactory installation in the form of a diptych, presented as part of a 3-year temporary exhibition on the theme: My life in Textiles.
The perfume “Hymne aux weavers” aims to instill an olfactory and emotional civic memory by paying tribute to the workers of the city's former cotton factory. During my research, I collected impressions and memories from former workers and citizens in my Moleskine.
Strong ideas emerged from these discussions: the importance of emphasizing work, will and pride, the very essence of the weaver. From these touching encounters also came a poem that I wrote to explain the olfactory narrative intention to those who weaved the history of the region. It is inscribed inside an artist's notebook, with an old photo of workers in the first part of the glass diptych, like a precious artifact. The perfume is in the second part of the wall installation. We can guess its presence by an icon in the shape of a nose followed by text indicating to approach, press a button and smell. The ozonic top note recalls the proximity of the hydroelectric dam, the main engine of the power station. The heart notes, around an accord of damp hay, recall the smell of damp, quilted raw cotton. The background notes are heavy and warm, like the ambient air and the deafening noises that reigned in the factory. Having founded my family in Magog and originally from the region, I carry this story proudly since some members of my father's family worked at the Textile before its closure. I hope to honor them today.”
The perfume “Hymne aux weavers” aims to instill an olfactory and emotional civic memory by paying tribute to the workers of the city's former cotton factory. During my research, I collected impressions and memories from former workers and citizens in my Moleskine.
Strong ideas emerged from these discussions: the importance of emphasizing work, will and pride, the very essence of the weaver. From these touching encounters also came a poem that I wrote to explain the olfactory narrative intention to those who weaved the history of the region. It is inscribed inside an artist's notebook, with an old photo of workers in the first part of the glass diptych, like a precious artifact. The perfume is in the second part of the wall installation. We can guess its presence by an icon in the shape of a nose followed by text indicating to approach, press a button and smell. The ozonic top note recalls the proximity of the hydroelectric dam, the main engine of the power station. The heart notes, around an accord of damp hay, recall the smell of damp, quilted raw cotton. The background notes are heavy and warm, like the ambient air and the deafening noises that reigned in the factory. Having founded my family in Magog and originally from the region, I carry this story proudly since some members of my father's family worked at the Textile before its closure. I hope to honor them today.”
- Alexandra Bachand
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A moment of olfactory pause paying homage to the weavers, like a film photo from the period. Scent of work and deserved pride.
A complex, human smell, like the weaving of hundreds of intertwined cotton threads. A fragrance like a hymn to the spinning workers, these women and men who with their hands have woven the history of the region.
Hymne aux tisserands (poème jumelé au parfum)
A moment of olfactory pause paying homage to the weavers, like a film photo from the period. Scent of work and deserved pride.
A complex, human smell, like the weaving of hundreds of intertwined cotton threads. A fragrance like a hymn to the spinning workers, these women and men who with their hands have woven the history of the region.
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Olfactory artist & perfumer : Alexandra Bachand
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