Friday, 22 June 2012

LAST NIGHT AT THE BSP

Last night was memorable!

I had the greatest privilege and honour to share my passion for scents and generate some sensory debate around them during my presentation for the British Society of Perfumers

Under the guidance of their newly appointed President John Bailey, a fantastic gentleman also know as Mr. Perfume, the BSP aims to play a leading role in the demand of knowledge on perfume that has come up recently. With this aim, he asked S Sense to start the new year of events. 

We are putting together a few clips. What I can say in the meantime is that, starting by smelling a poem, we looked at ways scents can enhance our lives and question what the scenario will be like in the future. 

The audience was engaged and responded with interesting comments to the questions that I had prepared and asked them to make the evening interactive and thought-provoking.

It was also the opportunity to introduce the Design With Scents course at Kingston University and the British Society of Perfumers training on scents which will happen in March 2013.

We had people from the industry, as well as perfume lovers and new friends from other walks of life. Thank you all for coming!

My friend John Bailey, President of the British Society of Perfumers and I at The Hub King's Cross

Thursday, 14 June 2012

THE BETTER WE SMELL, THE BETTER WE LIVE


Two Fridays ago I attended a conference called SCENT AND SENSIBILITY at the INSTITUTE OF PHILOSOPHY. It was on the neuroscience of fragrance and featured presentations from academics who have been performing research on olfaction. The day was inspiring as it offered the chance to listen to experts and open discussions. Ultimately it raised awareness on the importance of our sense of smell.
Prof. Thomas Hummel, a world specialist on taste and smell disorders from Taste and Smell Clinic, University of Dresden - and a brilliant speaker - talked about the lack of the sense of smell (anosmia). He firstly reminded us about the significance of the sense of smell in our "chemical communication, in the way we socialise, the way we detect dangers and the way we feel pleasures. Afterwards, he illustrated the effects of anosmia and the importance of olfactive training as treatment.
Put it simply, by lacking bits of tastes and smells, total or partial anosmia sufferers experience food-related (appetite, cooking, weight) discomforts in the first place. What's more, the absence of smells makes them feel insecure in social situations and their sexual drive decreases. All these conditions eventually culminate in long-lasting mood and depression problems.
Olfactive training plays special relevance in the treatment of anosmia, said Dr. Hummel, as it increases the response of olfactory receptors. Tests show that patients that have received olfactory training made much better progress than those who haven’t. 




"When people are exposed to odours repetitively, they increase their olfactory function."



By exposing the audience to what is existence is like in the absence of smells, Dr. Hummel ultimately demonstrated the importance of this sense. Put it simply, the better we smell, the longer (and better) we live. By bringing scientific evidence, his presentation motivates me to carry on the work that I have been doing in promoting perfume knowledge to increase wellbeing and enhance people's lives.

The fact that institutions like The Institute of Philosophy are promoting discussions on scents make me think that in the near future the word neglected will be hopefully no longer used when we talk about our dear sense of smell.

For more, his presentation is on youtube:





Thursday, 7 June 2012

SAVE THE DATE: 21.06.12




BRITISH SOCIETY OF PERFUMERS
in association with The Hub King’s Cross presents 

Perfume: Space and Body for the Human Experience 
An interactive, sensory presentation by Nicola Pozzani - S Sense

Thursday 21st June 2012 - 6.30pm for 7.00 pm start

Today, perfume is used on bodies and in places to enhance how they smell. However perfume goes way beyond the realm of fragrance. The sense of smell is an untapped human resource and perfume, a powerful tool that can enhance people’s lives.

Sharing his sensory background and current perfume education venture, Nicola Pozzani founder of S Sense will engage with the audience, question our perception of perfume and how it can change in the future. 

Attendees will discover how the sensory experience of perfume is bringing value to individuals and organisations. The evening will also be an opportunity to discover the “Design With Scents“ course at Kingston University and the BSP 2013 Training weekend.

Nicola Pozzani, also known as Synesthetic Provocateur, is the founder of S Sense The Senses Of Perfume, sensory training company. He is also teacher for Kingston University and the BSP. Nicola received perfume training by perfumer Jean Claude Ellena at the Università dell’Immagine of Milan, and English teaching training by Cambridge University. He has been designing sensory training projects on scents for companies, major perfume/beauty brands and charitable foundations. Nicola aims to be an ambassador for the use of perfume as an enabler of well being, mindfulness, collaboration and innovation. www.ssense-perfume.com

Nicola Pozzani “It is my mission to bring the benefits of perfume to a wider audience and partnering with he BSP is an exciting and wonderful opportunity to do this”

Free for members, £10 non members – Tea and Coffee available and Pay Bar Venue: The Hub King’s Cross, London. 34 B York Way. London N1 9AB, UK

+44 (0) 207841 3450 kingscross.hosts@the-hub.net

Hub Kings Cross is a co-working space for social entrepreneurs based in London. The Hub is an inspiring global community of social enterprises, environmental companies and sustainable businesses. HUBs are uniquely designed spaces that provide a creative environment as well as a professional infrastructure to work, meet, learn and connect. The HUB is designed to facilitate the creation of sustainable impact through collaboration. http://kingscross.the-hub.net/

Please confirm attendance to Bspsecretary@aol.com. Payment can be made by cash, cheque (payable to The British 
Society of Perfumers) or by BACS (Please contact Bspsecretary@aol.com for details)

Visit the BSP website for news and details of other forthcoming events www.bsp.org.uk


Sunday, 3 June 2012

READING INTERRUPTED

"Has it ever happened, 
that as you were reading a book, 
you kept stopping as you read, 
not because you weren’t interested, 
but because you were: 
because of a flow of ideas, stimuli, associations? 
Simply put, 
have you ever read while looking up from your book?"
 
-Roland Barthes-

Almost ten years ago as I had the greatest opportunity to receive a scholarship and attend UNIVERSITà DELL'IMMAGINE, MA of the five senses in Milan, where I met a wealth of fantastic teachers. 

Amongst them, my now fantastic friend Letizia, who has dedicated her life (and one a PhD) to the pleasure of reading. She started a blog, which I find essential and thought-provoking.

It's called readinginterrupted.

May your readings be always scented my special friend!
Nicola


ACQUA ALLEGORIA'S SONATINA


Last Friday at the Institute of Philosophy researchers from Oxford University and the audience (including me) were discussing about the connections between scent and sound stimuli.

There may or may not be a scientific explanation, however our human senses and instinct play a special role in saying that there are some correspondences, like our old dear friend Baudelaire used to say.

Today I then decided to make an experiment. I sprayed on my musician friend Guerlain's Acqua Allegoria Pamplelune, asking what it sounded like to her.

Without her knowing anything about the perfume, she played a sonatina, referring to a simplistic, child-like accord. She said that "some violins are in there too". From wikipedia: a sonatina is a shorter, light in character composition.




Just referring to Maison Guerlain's own words, the perfume is described as a "short but concentrated formula, result of an alchemy of simplicity and sophistication". 


Feel free to leave a comment!
Nicola

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