Cercle Odyssey: a tale of sound, images and smells

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Two years ago you created an initial fragrance diffused during Cercle events ¹. Can you share your first reactions to what was a fairly unusual experience? 
In 2023 all the shows were held outdoors, in a variety of huge spaces. So it was particularly difficult to control every element. The event visited three cities: Seville, Geneva and Paris. It was very hot in Seville, unsurprisingly, and the space was enormous, it was quite challenging. It was easier to set up the installation in Geneva as the venue was smaller and had a larger number of diffusers. As for Paris in 2024, at the Musée de l‘Air et de l’Espace we were dealing with a vast, brand new space so we chose strategic zones for the diffusion, without explicitly identifying them. This meant that we could surprise as many members of the audience as possible, giving them a chance to smell and experience the fragrances. With hindsight, it’s clear to me that we need as many diffusion points as possible to ensure more uniform coverage by the fragrances in areas where the audience gather.
The first conclusions, however, were very reassuring: we received a lot of comments, which meant that the fragrances did actually reach their destination! The comments mainly related to the qualitative aspects of Golden Hour, the Cercle’s signature fragrance. So the first experiment was pretty satisfactory, and convincing enough for the Cercle teams to take the project further. 

Two years on, how has the project evolved? 
We felt that, if we wanted to take it to another level, it was vital to multiply diffusion points so we could offer an even more noticeable olfactory experience by ensuring even distribution. As for the fragrance itself, while experimenting with a single odor representing the Cercle concept as a whole helped to test out the installation, we felt it would definitely be a far better idea to try and reflect the specific features of each concert and each associated visual scenario.

Derek Barbolla, who created Cercle, wanted to add a more staged and narrative aspect to this new edition of his immersive project. He explored the theme of Homer’s Odyssey and suggested a version in four acts for Cercle Odyssey. This new direction gave us a perfect opportunity to roll out the olfactory experience using new fragrances, drawing on the success of Golden Hour. So I proposed creating three new and more theme-based olfactory signatures as an addition to the first one. However, the four fragrances now available are not all used systematically. They have taken their place alongside the libraries of images, visual animations and videos available to Cercle as customization options to meet the artistic specificities of each musical performance proposed by the programmed artists. As I see it, this is a decisive stage in establishing a olfactory experience that makes a lasting contribution to the immersive project as a whole.

Could you give us more details about the creative process and the properties of the three new fragrances? 
A number of visuals and video extracts were sent to me beforehand, all captured by Neels Castillon’s team, which has collected a very diverse range of material from all around the world. So I got the chance to watch, understand and feel the atmospheres as well as the different messages for the audience. Then I tried to reinforce the various intentions from an olfactory point of view and take them further.

The first fragrance, La Forêt, centers on a highly tropical plant-based form of expression. The images filmed in Polynesia show a particularly dense jungle. I composed a fragrance with a very green, very crunchy facet combined with damp, floral notes to highlight the white flowers you find in those latitudes: the go-to Jasmine Absolute, of course, but also Red Champaca E-Pure Jungle Essence and Juniper Wood ID Jungle Essence. It’s the fruit of a partnership between Mane and the NGO Red List Project, based on a headspace and recreating the flower’s olfactory properties without exploiting it in the literal sense of the term.

The second fragrance, L’Océan, draws on various visual sources captured in Iceland, Namibia and Polynesia. I really wanted to avoid creating a fragrance that smelled of the beach and to concentrate specifically and exclusively on the sensation of water within the vastness of the ocean. Naturally it features salty, iodine notes, thanks in particular to Red Seaweed Jungle Essence, as well as to the use of Pure Lavander Jungle Essence, which adds a very blue aspect with its slightly camphorated freshness. A cocktail of Sustainable Bergamot and Upcycled Lemon introduce extremely refreshing facets that amplify the olfactory intention.

The third fragrance, La Nuit étoilée, focuses on the northern lights filmed in Iceland. They inspired me to work on the vast spaces of the heavens that are so fascinating when we get to observe them in nature. So I used a handful of smoky notes, with Juniper and Atlas Cider and Upcycled Orcanox, that combine to create a slightly mysterious, almost shamanic form of expression. And then there’s the Vanilla Absolute from Madagascar, which acts as a dark but comforting wrapping, like a blanket you drape over yourself when you’re sitting round the fire under a starry sky. The final element is a subtle scattering of jasmine, clothing the fragrance in the majesty it needs. 

How did you go about trying to improve the diffusion system? 
The system had been entirely updated for this new edition to make sure the fragrances could be diffused as programmed. Cylinders were installed on powerful fans positioned around the central stage, forming a series of devices connected to a trigger system operated remotely by the control desk. This made it possible to diffuse the chosen fragrance based on the predefined script at exactly the right moment. The C17 company, already involved in the project for the creation of special effects, designed and tested the optimal diffusion conditions in collaboration with the Mane teams. Another parameter helped the diffusion process: in Mexico City, Los Angeles and Paris the shows all took place indoors, in relatively homogenous spaces. Of course it didn’t solve all the problems, particularly the volume of these huge venues and number of people attending, which unquestionably have an effect on olfactory flows in the space. And then there are the issues of air conditioning, crowd movements, and so on. Plus we can’t overlook the smells that many audience members carry with them: they are all obstacles to obtaining the best possible olfactory conditions for the experience.

Studying and working on air circulation is what thermodynamic engineers do, just like acoustic engineers who make sure sound is diffused properly, particularly for concerts in places that aren’t designed for them. Would it not be a useful resource to bring in to create a better olfactory experience for audiences?
Yes, it would be a decisive factor for improving the next events, to optimize the experience in line with all the parameters I’ve mentioned. And it’s the sort of input that should be systematic each time odors need to be diffused in a large space. Without it, we pretty much end up working in the dark, since we can only really finetune the system empirically with each new show. The fact that few precedents exist concerning odor diffusion during large concerts is often a concern for organizers, understandably. They want to move forward cautiously, one step at a time, when naturally I’m impatient to find ways to fully exploit the presence of fragrances! It feels to me like we’re at the start of a process where odors will end up playing a more central role in Cercle Odyssey. But once again, it’s still very encouraging and extremely exciting for me as a perfumer and musician. 

During the first shows in Mexico City and Los Angeles, did you manage to get any audience reactions to the odors and their diffusion conditions?
As things stand, we don’t have any consolidated data yet but the Cercle team systematically sends a questionnaire to the thousands of people who lived the experience as part of a commitment to continuous improvement. We’ll no doubt have a much clearer idea in a few weeks. However, Mane wanted me to be present at each show to ensure the best possible result (and take on the role of thermodynamics engineer!), as well as to get a better understanding of the options for improving odor diffusion. For example, proposing fragrance diffusion in the form of candles would allow audience members who enjoyed this particular aspect to prolong the experience after the show. When all our senses are invoked at a long-awaited event, in a specific space and at a specific time, our sensations are often far more powerful – as is our memory of it. I can easily imagine that seeing the show at home with the smell of the fragrances could help anchor the uniqueness of Cercle and extend what is intrinsically an ephemeral experience. But it would also be an opportunity to offer anyone who couldn’t come to Cercle Odyssey in person an accessible immersive version, possibly serving to confirm or increase their interest in this very innovative project.

Prolonging the experience is a lovely idea, but don’t you think that the idea of getting to know the odors beforehand could be just as positive? When people go to a concert, they have taken the time to discover the music they’re going to hear, to learn to love it and associate it with situations and sentiments that are highly personal.
The analogy with an audience’s behavior when it comes to music is very interesting. And if certain audience members got to know the fragrances before the event, they could identify them when they are diffused at the venue during the shows much more quickly, just like you wait impatiently for a favorite song to be performed, and identify it in a split second. It’s a discussion I’ll be fascinated to have with Derek Barbolla as well as the artists he programs. Who knows, maybe it could led to new options when people buy their tickets? 

That’s true. One idea could be a collection of samples, like we do with Box by Nez, to offer anyone interested the chance to discover the original olfactory creations beforehand. On the same subject, what opportunities do you feel this collaboration with Cercle represents?
There are a lot of them. I particularly enjoy the way they reveal themselves as I attend the different shows, or when I talk to the experts who make up the Cercle team. Creating a dedicated fragrance unit within Cercle, like a real olfactory brand, would be irrefutable proof of the legitimacy of odors as part of a multi-sensory project which is still at a highly experimental stage.  On top of that, when I get the chance to enjoy performances by artists whose work I’ve admired for years, like Moby, Paul Kalkbrenner, The Blaze and Black Coffee, it’s difficult to resist the urge to work with them as well to create fragrances that tie into their aesthetic universe. That would be a real achievement for me. And who knows, maybe come up with a collection that could be distributed in its own right in the perfumery sector.

Can you see any limits to the collaboration, especially given the event’s nature as a very spectacular public performance?
I think that the time factor is the hardest to manage in my position as a perfumer. Each olfactory adjustment involves a great many analyses and sometimes raises concerns, which are far more difficult to counteract because of the lack of precedents in the live performance sphere. We have to wait for live conditions to make progress and improve the system. The organizers’ trust is another key parameter in continuing to apply and strengthen the olfactory dimension of the shows. The fact that I spend a lot of time with the teams is undoubtedly a big advantage in building that trust. The legitimate sense of caution organizers feel when it comes to the intensity of the fragrances diffused at the shows is also a challenge. I try to meet it by reassuring them, step by step. Experimenting takes time and plenty of shows.

Nonetheless, it seems to me that it’s always easier to cool a bath that is too hot than the opposite. What do you feel about that idea in terms of what you just expressed?
In the odor domain, we’re not up against a very high risk factor. The quantity of odor diffused can’t really produce critical situations from the audience safety point of view. At worst, the only criticisms that could be directed at us would be discomfort caused by the overwhelming presence of a fragrance as well as the endless “I like it/don’t like it” debate. But it is certainly the case that we would achieve much more and far more quickly if we really ramped up the quantity of diffused fragrance and adjusted it according to the audience’s reactions. Taking that sort of a risk would of course be up to the Cercle creators, and as it is I’m delighted and honored to be able to add an olfactory dimension to a project that has already won over tens of thousands of people worldwide. 

More generally, I imagine that it offers Mane and you yourself an opportunity to get a better understanding of the problems of diffusing odors in fairly extreme situations. Each solution you find opens up possibilities for introducing and exploiting these new ways of accessing fragrances that could apply in many fields: architecture, museums, concerts, live performances, movies, maybe even amusement parks and the very wide range of events in general. 
Although there are a handful of companies specializing in diffusing odors, it’s a vast area that is still unexplored. For example, it could see the emergence of needs and opportunities which, over time, would become new standards in all these fields as well as new markets to be developed. 

Alongside your job as a Mane perfumer, you lead a creative life as part of Cosmic Gardens, the multi-sensory band you created with Clément Mercet, where you also experiment with diffusing fragrances. How does that feed into your work with the Cercle teams and, more generally, your approach to creating fragrances? 
Cosmic Gardens offers experiences based on electronic music performed live combined with video projections and odor diffusion. And that’s very similar to what Cercle Odyssey does, though on a far more modest scale of course! Nevertheless, while we don’t have the same resources, I do have a massive amount of freedom to experiment with creating fragrances and different ways of diffusing them. These experiences mean I came to Cercle equipped with a degree of knowhow and knowledge of their problems, and that definitely saved us time. More generally, as a perfumer I feel it’s vital to stay curious about all the other fields of expression relating to our senses. Everyone can observe the many crossovers in the vocabulary used within disciplines that call on very different senses. For example, we talk about coloring in music, notes in perfumery, and rhythm in painting. The intangible and invisible dimensions of fragrance mean people approach it in a far more abstract way, and it’s useful to present it by drawing on other sensory experiences to get across its fundamental properties. My musical explorations combining images and odors inevitably broaden the creative scope of my fragrances and my ability to share them.

A final question: could you tell us what the ultimate achievement in your collaboration with Cercle Odyssey would look like? Would you like to see the emergence of the PJ (Perfume Jockey) as, eventually, an occupation as natural and central as a DJ or VJ?
We should patent that name! And yes, it would be a dream for me to boost the possibilities for customizing the olfactory experience during shows, in the same way as the images shown during concerts and song arrangements performed by artists on stage. For example, with live creation of fragrances using a library of ingredients or accords, the quantity of fragrances diffused, or diffusion zones interacting with the lighting. In short, getting the chance to improvise like musicians do when they’ve got a set number of bars of music to perform a solo! I’d also like to try and give odors a more material form, maybe by introducing the transfer of aromatic molecules with steam, a process used by the Institute for Art and Olfaction in Amsterdam a few years ago. This would make it possible to visually identify the presence of the fragrance in the space and make the audience more aware of the olfactory journey of discovery they are being taken on. It would also be a very concrete way of returning to the material, etymological origin of fragrance, i.e. perfumum, through smoke. I really hope I’ll be able to tell you more about it in the months and years to come!

• Mane website
• Cercle Odyssey website

Photo credit: @ Cercle Odyssey

1. see the article Perfuming music: Mane and Cercle team up for a series of immersive concerts – Nez the olfactory cultural movement ↩︎