Violets are everywhere on the ground outside the windows of the gallery. A violet accord is one of my favourite chemical cocktails and appears like magic when you are making one from scratch. The ionones are an interesting and historical chemical class that heralded synthetic perfumery’s beginnings. A Violet in nature is fleeting because our brains have evolved to react to the ionones and switch them off. Even with a synthetic version, this holds true: the ionones flip your brain, and then your brain flips them off.
Violet Gas 2015. Acrylic on canvas, Violet aroma made by the artist, custom stand and delivery apparatus. Penrith Regional Gallery, NSW.
