Olfactory Peregrinations
by Cristian Marianciuc
May 3 – June 5, 2023
The earliest clay tablet dates from 3100–3000 BC, and was found in a Mesopotamian archeological site. The earliest known papyrus scroll comes from Egypt, and is dated to about about 2900 BC. Clay tablets and papyrus scrolls provided crucial surfaces upon which our forefathers were able to record all details of their lives. These important technologies where, however, quickly supplanted when a Chinese court official known as Ts’ai Lun combined hemp, rags and mulberry bark to produce a delicate, thin surface for writing, about 2000 years ago. Paper was born.
By the 8th century, paper was the medium of choice for scribes and philosophers in the Islamic Golden Age, where technology-minded Baghdadis learned how to make a thicker and stronger sheet. The new paper processes spawned an industry that spread to Iran, Northern Africa, Southern Spain and – eventually – to the rest of the European continent.
It was in the 7th century, however, that paper traveled through Korea to enter into common usage in Japan. Early Japanese paper-makers used a sticky substance called mucilage to enhance paper strength and variabiity. With the expansion of available types of paper, the possibilities for paper evolved. It is in this context that early Japanese crafstpeople began to create elaborate folded paper objects to decorate Shinto shrines. Over the course of a millenia, this practice evolved into what we understand today as Origami.
It is in honor of this deep historical context that IAO Gallery presents artist Cristian Marianciuc’s delicate paper works – a series known as Olfactory Peregrinations.
The works in the series come in the form of jewel-like paper birds, exquisitely cut, folded and glued to evoke sensorial impressions produced by contemporary and vintage perfumes. As Marianciuc explains: “With my paper sculptures, I attempt to give a physical shape to smells. And I invite people to embark on Olfactory Peregrinations that seek to engage all the senses. Each of my creations represents the way I felt about a scent at one particular moment in time.”
On View: May 3 – June 5, 2023
Private View: Tue., May 9
Closing Event: June 2, 6:00 – 8:00pm – Chinatown First Fridays!
The Institute for Art and Olfaction
932 Chung King Rd.
Los Angeles CA. 90012
(Sources: History of Paper / History or Origami)
With thanks to Dannielle Sergent for the loan of the No17 Civet Chypre Crane.
PHOTOS OF OPENING
ABOUT CRISTIAN MARIANCIUC
Cristian Marianciuc is a paper artist from Romania. His work revolves around the traditional origami crane. Since 2014 he has been perfecting his very personal style which sees the humble yet beautifully symbolic traditional model of the crane come alive with the help of intricately cut wings, flowers, folkloric motifs, and other decorative paper elements.
In 2020 Cristian turned his attention to the world of perfume in his constant search for sources of inspiration. The resulting project, “Olfactory Peregrinations”, aims to give physical shapes to fragrances: they are assigned colours, a “body” , stories and music to name just a few of the elements that are part of Cristian’s artistic olfactory universe. Each of these paper sculptures is meant to serve as a travel companion on the multilayered and multi-sensory journey proposed by the artist.
Learn more about Cristian Marianciuc at his Instagram channel.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I grew up with my 10 other siblings in a small town in the North East of Romania. I had quite the bucolic childhood, and I would have never anticipated that the olfactive landscape I called home would inform to such a degree the way I process smells and the way I would go about translating them, today.
My daily chores as a child consisted of looking after the family’s many farm animals – sometimes spending all day in the nearby meadows with the cows. I gradually became very familiar with the local flora, and by the time I was an adult I had basically smelled and tasted everything that was growing there.
Fragrances were not part of my life until much later on, mostly because we couldn’t really afford to buy them. However, I feel that I have a strong olfactive foundation due to the time I spent outdoors, exploring. That is another reason why I feel smells in general have such a profound effect on me.
I don’t know if I have synesthesia, but I am inclined to believe so.
Since my work focuses so much on building as many layers of meaning as possible, and engaging as many of our senses as possible, it was only a matter of time before I would turn to the world of perfume for inspiration. It’s been over three years now, and what I thought would only be a small, short term side project has now taken over the bulk of what I create! With my paper sculptures, I attempt to give a physical shape to smells. And I invite people to embark on Olfactory Peregrinations that seek to engage all the senses. Each of my creations represents the way I felt about a scent at one particular moment in time.
I do not see myself tiring of doing what I do! Quite the opposite – my love and healthy obsession for all things perfume only seems to grow. I am now slowly collecting raw materials as well, so that I can get a deeper and more informed view of what fragrances are and how they influence us.