Perfumery is an art form, and deserves recognition as such. That means giving each scent the space to be explored and enjoyed properly using music, light sound and smell.

Rudyard Kipling once said that “Smells are surer than sounds or sights to make your heart-strings crack” meaning they have the power to evoke memories and emotional responses in ways taste, touch, sound and vision can’t. Just a whiff of freshly baked bread can transport you to your grandmother’s kitchen, a french bakery or the supermarket you worked at when you were seventeen. Scent has the power to simultaneously evoke different emotions in all of us with just one note, which is what makes it such a phenomenal medium for expression.

For perfumers Simon and Mark Constantine this couldn’t be more true. Volume III is their way of exploring their personal experiences of death and mourning, and accordingly each perfume has a story behind it.

When the perfumes were first launched guests were able to explore each perfume and the story behind them in an immersive experience at a bespoke pop-up gallery in London. Now the gallery is closed you can discover the Volume’s inspirations below;”

Granted, it’s not the prettiest of names for a perfume. Those two words, death and decay, evoke macabre, even grotesque responses, but, when coupled with the floral, almost sweet scent of lilies, the meaning behind the perfume suddenly becomes clear. It’s fresh and beautiful, and as Mark points out, it reminds you of the prosaic side of death; the funereal silences, the reverence of remembering those who have passed.

How it was visualised in the Gorilla Gallery space:

The first perfume audience were met with, Death and Decay sets the tone of the exhibition. The floral fragrance is at odds with the harsh, deathly words, which emphasises the bitter-sweet nature of life.

The pure scent of lily mingles with over-ripe tones of indole to give this fragrance a pungent, narcotic headiness. Let it transport you to a serene space where the fullness of beauty and its inevitable decay can be contemplated without fear. The message is one of meditation, acceptance and optimism delivered in a glorious, floral flourish.

• Perfume
• Ylang Ylang Oil
• Tonka Absolute
• Rose Oil
• Jasmine Absolute

Dad’s Garden – Lemon Tree

Dad’s Garden is inspired by a walk Mark took in his father’s garden in South Africa following his death. Mark realised that it was possible to miss someone you never really knew, and created a perfume that encapsulated this unfamiliar familiarity using leaves from a lemon tree he collected during the walk.

Capturing Mark’s father’s verdant South African garden, full of light and bright colours, experience a rush of sunny lemon and juicy lime. This uplifting, tribute fragrance exudes sweet citrus with a sharp twist that lingers on the skin and in the mind. Linger under the Lemon Tree and luxuriate in the warmth of the sun on the nape of your neck.

How it was visualised in the Gorilla Gallery space:

A garden shed hung with men’s suit jackets. Each one is scented with Dear John – a fragrance Mark made as an ode in perfume to a man he hadn’t yet met. Beside the jackets, in a scene reminiscent of of Alice in Wonderland, are three perfume bottles labelled ‘Jo’ ‘Sari’ and “Laura’ – each scent is a portrait in perfume of the three sisters he met after his father’s death.

Dad’s Garden – Lemon and Chamomile

Symbolic of the passing of tradition from generation to generation, this perfume is Simon Constantine’s own homage to his father’s garden. Inspired by the floral, herbal scents in Mark’s garden, the scent of chamomile and honeysuckle create a warm, comforting fragrance that is reassuringly optimistic. This fragrance tackles the more positive elements of mourning, and signals the process of renewal and moving forwards.

Simon created this sweet, green perfume in homage of his father’s garden, and the result is a fragrance landscape of honeysuckle. Lush orange flower is calm rather than zesty in this perfume rich in Roman chamomile and lavender, but the resulting bouquet is stirring rather than dreamy. Wear to be reminded of long gone summer evenings in shades of gold.

How it was visualised in the Gorilla Gallery space:

This fragrance is purposely exhibited close to Mark’s Dad’s Garden fragrance in order to demonstrate how the two pieces work together. The warm and comforting embrace of Simon’s fragrance hits the audience as they leave  the more sorrowful atmosphere of Mark’s father’s shed. The two pieces poignantly encompass the mourning process – loss, sadness, comfort, remembrance and renewal.