maison cartier combines scent with climate engineering for ‘OSNI’ installation in paris

maison cartier, under the direction of lead perfumer mathilde laurent, presents ‘OSNI’ (unidentified scented object), a temporary art installation that combines scent and climate engineering. installed in the bassin du palais de tokyo in paris, the project creates an experiential cloud of perfume inside of a clear box, inviting the public to engage with fragrance in a new way.

all images by quyen mike courtesy of cartier

visitors are invited to enter into the closed space, then take a spiral staircase leading them to the ‘cloud of scent’. once they reach the summit, the overwhelming honeyed and diaphanous notes of ‘l’envol de cartier‘ engulf the visitor. the immersive olfactory exhibit was achieved in collaboration with transolar engineering, an international climate engineering firm. a stable thermal stratification system is created so that the ‘cloud’ can be held in position, even at dynamic environmental conditions – changing in a wide range of air temperature, air humidity, solar insolation and wind.

the elegant cube will be on view for three days from october 20th – 23rd 

‘the goal of the project is to present the fragrances of maison cartier to the public beyond any commercial or advertising context, in order to show that smell is an unrivaled vector of emotions‘, explains lead perfumer mathilde laurent. ‘[scent] is a source of wonderment, of questioning and surprise. an incredible sensation- making machine!’ OSNI symbolizes the hybridization of two distant worlds: olfaction and climate technology. a great amount of research and experiments ensured that the ‘perfuming’ of the cloud was possible, held in balance between two strata of air in an artful and elegant installation. the project is on view from now through october 23rd, 2017 as part of FIAC in paris. 

transolar engineering developed a stratification system to re-create the atmosphere of a cloud

visitors must reach the summit of the staircase to fully experience the scented cloud

the clouds from the installation seem to merge with the clouds of paris

the exhibit combines olfaction with climate engineering