Paperback Perfumes

Diffractive Studio is an independent fragrance house in Newcastle, UK. Owner and perfumer Alessandra started out as an academic, but branched out into the fragrance space creating fragrant art installations, as well as commercial product. Recently Alessandra had an article, “Beyond the Scent of Blood and Gardenias” published in the fragrance journal, Alabastron. This first issue of the journal focussed on the ‘Scent of Identity’ and Alessandra’s piece focused on the queer experience of an olfactory identity (a new term that I will be using at any given moment from now on).

If you love a good love story, if you like powerful women, if you like mixtapes and you are not afraid of pink, then this episode is for you.

Fragrances mentioned:

So Cute - Diffractive Studio 

Coven - Andrea Maack

Musc Ravageur - Editions De Parfums Frederic Malle

Both Sides of Clouds - 4160 Tuesdays

Dolce Treviso - Acca Kappa

Vaniglia Fior di Mandorlo - Acca Kappa

Fracas - Robert Piguet

Yuzu Soda - Strangers Parfumerie

So Fetch - Strangers Parfumerie

QH - Redolescent

Luna Dust - Mabelle O’Rama

Pink Sugar - Auqolina

Zucchero a Velo - Aquolina

Bowmakers - D.S & Durga

Pop Culture - Diffractive Studio

Books mentioned:

The Cyborg Manifesto - Donna Haraway

Soft Science - Franny Choi

Light from Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki

One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston

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As we had barely touched on any of the extensive Filigree & Shadow’s range of fragrances, this week is a return conversation with James Elliott from Filigree & Shadow. This time. staying on track came a little more easily and we touch on community, dug a little deeper into the DIY punk ethos and breeze past self diagnosis.

Filigree & Shadow is an artisanal perfume house based in Seattle, Washington State, where each fragrance has a personal story, as well as possible origin based around music. The brand ships internationally and is water based (for all or sensitive skin souls), so if you are able to whittle down you selection to 7 scents, it’s really worthwhile picking up a discovery set.

Fragrances mentioned:

Notget - Filigree & Shadow

Blume - Filigree & Shadow

Rema - Filigree & Shadow

Surfer Rosa - Filigree & Shadow.

Anonymity - Filigree & Shadow  

Books mentioned:

The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet - Benjamin Hoff

On the Road - Jack Kerouac

Adrienne Rich

Olga Broumas

Suheri Hammad

Inga Muscio

Larry Kramer

How to Be Idle - Tom Hodgkinson

You can find out more about Filigree & Shadow via the website - they are also on Instagram and TikTok

The image of James Elliott is AI generated and stunning

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes there are people that you really want to interview just because they seem like the type of person incredibly good conversation would happen with - James Elliott from Filigree & Shadow is absolutely one of these people.

Filigree & Shadow is an artisanal perfume house based in Seattle, Washington State. James has seamlessly blended a DIY political punk ethos into the world in a way that makes you surprised that it is not standard. From fundraisers with fellow perfumers to raising awareness of other small businesses, James seems to take any idea and just runs with it.

This episode is called Unhinged because James warned me about how things were going to go before I hit record, and the conversation really got away from the both of us.

Fragrances mentioned:

My Most Meaningful Relationships - Filigree & Shadow

Eau Savage - Christian Dior

Notget - Filigree & Shadow

Blume - Filigree & Shadow

Books mentioned:

Anne Rice

Poppy Z. Brite

Clive Barker

Carrie - Stephen King

Requiem for a Dream - Hubert Shelby Jr.

The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet - Benjamin Hoff

You can find out more about Filigree & Shadow via the website - they are also on Instagram and TikTok - I thoroughly recommend following (if you are not already).

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Map of the Heart is an Australian fragrance brand founded by Sarah Blair. The brand was started by Sarah and Jeffrey Darling, who were both working in film and became fascinated with fragrance. The fragrances are known for their unique bottle designs and the scents are crafted with a focus on authenticity and emotion. The conversation also touches on themes of body image, racism, and the power dynamics within relationships. However, because there is light to travel alongside the dark, there is also community, making connections, offering care and living into the people and the places that bring you joy.

Fragrances mentioned:

V.5 Valour

V.6 Ecstasy

V.2 Darkness

V.4 Peace

V.1 Freedom

V.3 Passion

V.8 Abundance

(Map of the Heart)

Books mentioned:

Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder - Asako Yuzuki

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

Eclogues- Virgil

We Come With This Place - Debra Danks

You can find out more about Map of the Heart on their website, or on Instagram.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. If you would like to know more about NAIDOC week, which is is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories you can find out more on the committee’s official website.

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I am talking with Justine Hanna, Operations Manager at the Geelong Regional Libraries Corporation. In multiple episodes I have mentioned that other Librarians maybe stronger in the realms of Reader’s Advisory than myself, so we are putting this theory to the test!

Justine has paired books with all manner of food and beverages, both for in person events and via her own podcast, Literary Elixirs. I was in the unusual position of selecting fragrances and we came up with some something a little unusual, as we discuss how to step outside of people expectations and living more into yourself.

Fragrances mentioned:

Play-Doh - Demeter Fragrance Library

Justine - Louis Feraud

Tezza’s Tea Party - Zimmer

Escentric 04 - Escentric Molecules

Books mentioned:

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend - Matthew Dicks

Legends and Lattes - Travis Baldree

Notorious Sorcerer - Davinia Evans

If you would like to listen to more pairings by Justine - can check out Literary Elixirs on Spotify

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australian perfume brand Metascent is reaching out into the fragrance community in a variety of different ways. From creating their own compounds, allowing people to explore making their own perfume, bring scent into art to create a fully immerse experience and taking the Australian fragrance profile into an international context, it’s hard to think of what else they still have left to explore and achieve. In talking with Janelle Donnelly, CEO of Metascent, seeing the way they are thinking about fragrance beyond something that is purely commercial but is also exploratory, make for some really fun pairings. From Australian Historical Fiction to Non fiction books on the language of Cults - we cover a lot of ground.

Fragrances mentioned:

Origin - Aqualis London

Carmelia - Metascent

Gaslight - Metascent

Adrenaline - Metascent

Love Affair - Metascent

Books mentioned:

The Story Thief - Kyra Geddes

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism - Amanda Montell

She Who Became The Sun - Shelley Parker-Chan

The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Richard Howard (Translator)

Find more about Metsacent their website: https://metascent.com/

The artworks discussed can be found on their Instagram @metascent

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode we are doing something a little bit different. The guest is Guy Vincent - CEO of Dutjahn Sandalwood Oils, an Western Australian supplier of Santalum spicatum. Dutjahn are a 50% traditionally owned company that sustainably farm Sandalwood for international distribution. Guy is a self proclaim ‘Aussie scrapper’ in the world of fine fragrance and has previously work for the Estée Lauder company as head perfumer for the Aveda brand.

As this material is sacred to the indigenous communities, we decided to discussion how Sandalwood performs as a character in the narrative of fragrance - how it can elevate the other materials in a composition,

Fragrances mentioned:

Shalimar - Guerlain

Santal 33 - Le Labo

Portrait of a Lady - Frederic Malle (Dominique Ropion)

D’Orange Vert - Hermes

Books mentioned:

Assassin Apprentice - Robin Hobb

Batman: Earth One - Geoff Johns, Gary Frank (Illustrator)

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) - Rick Riordan

Out of Sight - Elmore Leonard

(and here is the movie trailer in case you need to remember the film)

Find more about Dutjhan Sandalwood Oils On their website: https://www.dutjahn.com/

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is part two of what started off as a simple idea that unfurled into a three hour long discussion of scent, grief, love longing - all woven into the discussion of Annihilation. The guest is the wonderful Nuri Mc Bride who explores the intersection of olfaction and death rituals at the Death/Scent project, as well as  being co-editor of the community-focus scent culture journal Alabastron, the first edition of which is now available if you would like to find yourself a copy. If you have not has a listen to Part 1, I really recommend listen to that first before embarking on this episode.

Fragrances mentioned:

Orris Tattoo - Parle Moi Parfum

Koala - Zoologist

Squid - Zoologist

Bat - Zoologist 

Gypsy water - Byredo

Books mentioned:

Seven Skins of Esther Wilding - Holly Ringland

100 Love Sonnets (Cien Sonetos de Amor) - Pablo Neruda (Poem: XVII - I do not love you)

Find Nuri McBride on Instagram or on their website.

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no one that I would like to embark on this topic more than Nuri McBride - perfumer, community educator, and writer. Nuri explores the intersection of olfaction and death rituals at the Death/Scent project, writes about fragrance history in her monthly newsletter, Aromatica de Profundis. As well as being co-editor of the community-focus scent culture journal Alabastron, the first edition of which is now available if you would like to find yourself a copy. Nuri was also program curator for the Scent & Society lecture series at the Institute for Art and Olfaction. This is part 1 of a long and winding conversation that covers what it’s like to be a perfumer, some of the trials and tribulations of the industry, as well as the important role that scent can play in rituals that help us process emotions around loss and longing

Fragrances mentioned:

Kouros - Yves Saint Laurent

Attendre & Espérer - P.Frapin & Cie

Fig Porn - Born to Stand Out

Steamed Rainbow - DS & Durga

Books mentioned:

The Foul and the Fragrant - Alain Corbin

Carmilla - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Annihilation - Jeff VanderMeer

The Ballad of Black Tom - Victor LaValle

Find Nuri McBride on Instagram or on their website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In talking with Sondrine Kehoe, perfumer and founder of the independent artisanal fragrance house Cygnet Perfumery, the Podcast explores intimacies - how they can enrich one’s life, how a celebration of these moments can take many forms and what it can look like when we miss the mark for these moments of connection. Through out the podcast we discuss and pair with Cygnet’s heirloom collection and Sondrine’s experiences that went into creating these scents. Cygnet perfumery is based on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia.

Fragrances mentioned:

Forrest Essentials - Cologne Intense: Madurai Jasmine  

Antiquarian

Primaveral

Conifer

Nocturne

Vigneron

Plein Air

Youth Dew - Etsee Lauder

Books mentioned:

People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks

The Complete Poems - Emily Dickinson (Poem - A Light Exists in Spring)

A Thousand Mornings - Mary Oliver (Poem - When I’m Among The Trees)

Swimming in the Dark - Tomasz Jedrowski

The Grief Nurse - Angie Spoto

The Masterpiece - Emile Zola 

The Signature of All Things - Elizabeth Gilbert

Find Cygnet Perfumery on Instagram or on their website.

Theme music for the show was created by Raul Sanchez I Jorge. Check out his solo work on Wild Animal Records

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.