Kirin: Mise en Scène

If you remember, earlier this year I sent the fragrance Clytie to Khun Mo, an artist with synaesthesia (a condition where sensory cross-perception happens—for perfumes, it means seeing colors or images from scents).

After I had built the core structure of Kirin, I had planned to design a custom box sleeve and commission an artist to paint a Kirin on it. Looking at Kirin's complexity, Khun Mo immediately came to mind because I was curious what colors they would perceive, so I decided to commission Khun Mo to paint the Kirin on the box.

After talking with Khun Mo, we arranged to test Kirin at Scent District. To my surprise, Khun Mo perceived green, purple, and yellow tones—which I hadn't expected at all! Talking about it made me realize I had actually misunderstood synaesthesia all along. My own color perception usually associates with the direct object color of the raw materials, like orange smelling orange, or lavender being perceived as purple simply because real lavender flowers are purple (though I actually perceive lavender as green because it's an herbal tone).

Anyway, after receiving the color palette Khun Mo perceived alongside the initial draft artwork, I realized the colors completely contrasted with what I had envisioned (I saw reddish-orange tones from the fiery notes). Yet when layered together, the contrasting colors popped into a balanced, magnificent look.

Ultimately, Kirin is not just my creation, but also a piece of art by an artist who interpreted the scent through sensory perception, translating fragrance into colors splashed across the box sleeve. Thank you so much to Khun Mo (@mosaiz_n) for the artwork that brought Kirin to a complete and perfect release. It was an absolute pleasure working together!

For anyone interested, you can try it at the "Yokai: The Hidden Scent Procession" exhibition at Soi Sônn Klinn, Chatuchak Market, Project 15, Soi 10/7. Tomorrow is the last day!