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Media Archaeology and Intermedial Performance pp 129–143Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Perfumed Performances: The Reception of Olfactory Theatrical Devices from the Fin-de-siècle to the Present Day

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Part of the book series: Avant-Gardes in Performance ((AGP))

Abstract

Perfume is not a common object for media studies, but the devices created to spread and store perfume challenge, in a specific way, two major issues of media theory: novelty and proximity. This chapter outlines the ways in which the history of olfactory devices appears to be tied with the general history of olfactory culture. The focus on mystic references to perfumes in the nineteenth century demonstrates how our obsession for body odours originates in a combination of fascination and repulsion, a need for sublimation. The perfect deodorization that affected society, including in theatre architecture, left us with a strong fear and nostalgia of body smells that are still perceptible in contemporary olfactory art.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The influence of cultural background in the reception of smells has already been studied by many scientists (Ferdenzi et al. 2017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Collegium de Lyon - Institute for Advanced Study, Lyon, France

    Érika Wicky

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  1. Érika Wicky
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Free University of Brussels (ULB), Brussels, Belgium

    Nele Wynants

  2. University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    Nele Wynants

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Wicky, É. (2019). Perfumed Performances: The Reception of Olfactory Theatrical Devices from the Fin-de-siècle to the Present Day. In: Wynants, N. (eds) Media Archaeology and Intermedial Performance. Avant-Gardes in Performance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99576-2_6

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