Behind the Bottle with Bruno Fazzolari

When we first learned of Bruno Fazzolari, a fine artist and an olfactory artist in 2013,  who moves between scent and painting we knew we had discovered a rising star.   Through former Managing Editor Tama Blough we had the honor of being the first perfume blog to review his work.(at that time Lamp Black,  Monserrat,  Five, and Au Delà and  Jimmy).  I  recently recieved  a sample of Bruno Fazzolari's new limited edition perfume, Au Delà – Narcisse des Montagnes, a stunning twist on the original chypre with a complex and haunting narcissus accord.  The award winning perfumer from the West Coast is heading to the East Coast; to Twisted Lily Boutique in Brooklyn who will  debut  The Bruno Fazzolari Editions Line.  A fortuitous opportunity to Go Behind the Bottle as Bruno will be at Twisted Lily, 360 Atlantic Avenue for a Personal Appearance October 25, 2014 4-7 P.M.

Michelyn Camen: Does art, music or scent inform your creative process?

Bruno Fazzolari: Scents evoke colors for me—it’s a type of synesthesia. So in my process I don’t regard visual art and scent art as separate. When I develop a body of work I’m following a “scent trail” in my mind that’s very specific. It might be the multi-sensory response I’m having to the black ink I use, or a series of visual responses to rose oil. I then develop the perfume and visual elements simultaneously—each informs the other. Paintings will clarify my intentions for the scent; the scent leads me towards colors for the paintings.

Olivier Messian Photo The New York Times

 The French composer Olivier Messiaen who inspired Au Delà was a deeply spiritual man who said “My faith is the great drama in my life.” What is the great drama in your life?

B.F: Interestingly enough, Messiaen experienced music in terms of color. I don’t have synesthesia with sound, but I’m deeply inspired by his music, which can be difficult and bold, or madcap and wacky like a cartoon. But it can also be sublimely soothing. If it were all peaceful, all the time, or all wild then it wouldn’t be a true reflection of life. His symphony Éclairs sur Au Delà includes a passage called Demeurer Dans L’Amour. Listening to that is one of the most profoundly meditative experiences I can think of. The drama for me is striking this balance in art and life: between the tranquility of meditation and the excitement of creative engagement.

Bruno Fazzolari in his perfume studio

Why did you create another version of Au Delà?

B.F.: Well, to begin with it was all about the extraordinary raw material at the heart of this new edition. Narcisse des Montages is a star among floral absolutes, a floral that’s both earthy and green—tricky to work with because its more delicate notes are easily overwhelmed. This particular harvest was amazing and I wanted to share the beauty of it. So I was looking for the right vehicle for this star. The original formulation of Au Delà tells a story that is meditative and tranquil but that also has a certain darkness to it. The Greek myth of Narcissus includes these qualities: self-reflection and a spiral into darkness. The original formulation has a sharp, aromatic, green motif of neroli, jasmine and coriander. For this edition, I softened the opening to emphasize the earthly-green of narcissus. The original formulation has many fans and I’ll offer it again. This edition is like a variation on a musical theme or a painting from a series.

When working on Au Delà – Narcisse des Montages, were you inspired by the great vintage chypres? Which ones? Is this homage or a restoration?

B.F.: Au Delà is inspired in a general way by the spirit of several great vintage chypres: Crêpe de Chine, Lanvin Rumeur, Miss Dior, Chypre de Coty, and a later one that my grandmother used to wear, Ellipse by Jaques Fath. Two years ago, I visited the Osmothéque, where I enjoyed a private tour with Yves Tanguy. We smelled many of the classics. Astonishing! The vintage scents are so unlike what’s in fashion right now. In that way, they’re totally avant garde. Like any challenging artworks, they’re not for everyone; they’re edgy and bold. The edge may be floral but they have an edge nevertheless—fierce might be the right word.

As for vintage or restoration, Au Delà is contemporary, but I hope it’s also a little troubling the way vintage perfumes can be. When classic perfumes are “modernized” beautiful things can happen, but in the process they tend to lose their rough edges; the odd or awkward qualities that make them so striking.

Photo: Bruno Fazzolari mixing paint and finishing the Serigraph

What about the accompanying print?

BF: I developed the visual while I formulated the perfume, which is how I always work. I wanted to offer something accessible and affordable—something outside the gallery context that would circulate differently. The print reflects the colors I see in the fragrance and the flowers reflect Messiaen’s love of nature. Messiaen transcribed bird songs for piano and orchestra. He would literally go into the woods with his notebook and copy the songs he heard into musical notes. In his symphonies, these bird-songs are played by an entire orchestra. It makes for some very bold sounds! As a painter-perfumer I take the same kind of inspiration from the colors and scents of flowers as he took from the songs of birds. So in the print, I gave the flowers a heroic and larger than life quality. The text in the print makes it a cross between an ad and a poem—or maybe a kind of magic spell! My hope is that someone will spritz the perfume while gazing at the image and be transformed in some way.

And the perfume notes for Au Delà – Narcisse des Montages?  

BF: Bergamot :: Narcisse des Montagnes :: Jasmine :: Oakmoss :: Orange Flower :: Amber :: Immanence

–Bruno Fazzolari, Perfumer and Artist

The Limited Edition Serigraph  Au Delà – Narcisse des Montages 

Editor's Note:  The Limited Edition Serigraph and  Au Delà – Narcisse des Montages were released today. Only 100 serigraphs  were created. For a look into Bruno's artistic process please click here. Bruno Fazzolari teaches in the Graduate Program at the California College of The Arts and LampBlack was awarded four stars by Luca Turin for Style Arabia. -Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

 Hand made in small batches Au Delà – Narcisse des Montages Eau de Parfum is a limited edition 30 ml/$96

Thanks to Bruno Fazzolari we have a signed Serigraph and a 2ml sprayer sample to one CaFleureBon reader in the USA. To be eligible please leave a comment with what you found fascinating about  Bruno Fazzolini and the creation of Au Delà – Narcisse des Montages. If you want your comment to count twice please LIKE ÇaFleureBon Behind the Bottle on FaceBook. Draw ends 10/23/14.

Meet Bruno Fazzolari in Brooklyn, New York. Join Stamatis and Eric of Twisted Lily at 360 Atlantic Avenue, 10/25/2014 from 4:00 PM -7 PM  Light bites and drinks will be served.

We announce the winners only on site and our Facebook page, so like CaFleureBon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will just be spilled perfume