Inspired during a trip to the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain, perfumer Francis Kurkdjian’s latest creation is not a postcard fragrance; it is a fragrance that is inspired by a moment, a realization the perfumer had on this trip. Kurkdjian composed Aqua Vitae around the concept of “the space between us,” the unconscious dialogue that takes place between two people when they are in physical contact. In Western culture, we commonly describe this as the negative space around two objects or people. Unless you are a graphic designer or artist, it is something that mostly goes unnoticed. In Japanese culture and art, the word ma is used to describe the concept of the in-between. This space is given as much consideration as the objects themselves. In his book, The Art of Looking Sideways, Alan Fletcher writes:
Space is substance. Cézanne painted and modeled space. Giacometti sculpted by “taking the fat off space”. Mallarmé conceived poems with absences as well as words. Ralph Richardson asserted that acting lay in pauses… Isaac Stern described music as “that little bit between each note – silences which give the form”… The Japanese have a word (ma) for this interval, which gives shape to ... Read More »