A ‘scented story’ is easy to remember as scent is a highway to our emotions. Scent has access to our hidden memories and to knowledge we have (but might have forgotten). Access to insights that can illuminate our thoughts, even before we think them. How this works is explained through the knowledge of scent psychology. Trough my lectures, trainings and articles, I pass on my knowledge on this subject
The objects and installations I make incorporate natural scents (raw materials). My special interest are the effects of these scents on humans. Through my art I try to communicate this broad spectrum of odor perception. With each work of art I investigate the effects of a specific scent. This involves chemical composition, a historical or cultural context, an individual or universal scent experience. In my role as ‘Ambass’Odor’, I like to represent the various "voices" of natural scents.
The artworks are created with materials such as ceramics, drawings, photography, fabrics, scent , vintage objects, and scents. Sometimes they can be touched and can even incorporate sound, to provide extra sensory stimulus. My objects and installation can be used as 'guides'. These pieces can be used to activate conversations, create comfort zones or support the visually impaired. They tell numerous stories on scent and its effects in an educational, social, personal or commercial way.
Let your your environment or event be memorized, be spoken of and cherished
with one of my olfactory art objects or installations.
Art and Scent Projects
NOW ON
NEUZEN in het Pinetum (Tree heritages) | Scented art and tree pathway for the visually impaired
Pinetum Blijdenstein, Hilversum
recent
Groupexhibiton 'Wenteling' -De Onafhankelijken | Kunstkapel | september '19
Groupexhibiton 'Contras't -De Onafhankelijken | LOODS 6 Amsterdam May '19
Groupexhibiton 'Stroming' -De Onafhankelijken MLB Galerie Amsterdam|april '19
Raw Materials, solo exhibition| Castle Groeneveld | Baarn Jan.- Apr. 2019 (read more)
Groupexhibiton Pocket -De Onafhankelijken- Amsterdam House of arts and Crafts dec. '18
Chrisje and the scents of nature | Natuur historisch museum | Rotterdam Aug. '18
Artproject Pilgrimanimals | Akoesticum | Ede June '18
Ode to Siebold | Japan Museum | Sieboldhuis | Leiden juni '18
Art, concept and organisation
ART connects Healthcare (Heelmeesters)| KunstZaken |Stadsmueum Harderwijk '18
ART connects Healthcare (Heelmeesters) | KunstZaken | various locations '16-'17
ART connects Entrepreneurship (De Kunst van Het Ondernemen) | DKVHO | Raadhuis Hilversum '14
The knowledge of aromatic plants, their chemical structures, traditional use, historical backgrounds,
and use with cultural habits and rituals; all this and more forms the basis of the scent psychology with which I work.
Join me for a training a lecture or come for a professional consultation.
I work exclusively with natural essential oils, also for my scent psychology work.
Choose an interactive lecture or Training
Evoke your senses and memories : learn while doing
Every now and then we experience a ‘Madeleine de Proust’ moment – another French expression for having a déjà-vu experience – when a certain scent reaches the nose. We are all connected to scents unconsciously. Scents attract and repel, and also help us memorize the unmemorable, like Proust’s memory of a childhood Madeleine. Enjoy your own ‘Madeleine de Proust’ moment during my trainings and lectures!
Fragrance Trainings: perfume making
Connecting Scents works exclusively with natural and organic fragrances: essential oils. Essential oils are fragrances that originate from plants and trees. My training courses are for everyone who is interested in working with natural ingredients, the history of perfume and the effects of natural scents.
Interactieve Fragrance Lectures: History
Interactive, 'fragrant' lectures at different levels, with using the nose a lot. Lectures can also be adapted to business events or your product presentation needs.
Language: Dutch or English.
BOOK A training or Lecture
In this workshop you learn to recognize a number of fragrances, mix them and create a personal blend. You go home with your own unique Perfume, with its own unique characteristics.
Session: 2 hours | Costs p.p. : 22,50 euro ex. btw | minimum group : 6
In this ‘Perfumes of Love’ workshop, you’ll experience the stories behind aphrodisiac scents. You’ll gain insights into the psychological effects of these odors. At the end of this perfume session, you will go home with your own creation of a 'Petit Parfum d’amour’.
Session: 2 hours | Costs p.p.: 22,50 euro ex .btw | minimum group : 6
During this class we re-make an historical perfume. We taste and smell aromatic herbs and resins, first used by the Egyptians and Chinese people 3,000 years before Christ, we rub our hands with Roman wine, must and honey oil. When making your own historical perfume, you can choose from a number of authentic recipes from the Egyptian tombs, the French court or 18th century Cologne.
Session: 3 hours | Costs: 32,50 euro ex. btw (VAT)| minimum group : 6
During this lecture, we enter the era of Napoleon and Joséphine. Guided by a number of historical objects, you’ll be taken you into a world of delicious fragrances! You will learn about aphrodisiac perfumes, and their ingredients. If desired, it is also possible to create your own 'Eau de l'Empereur' in an additional workshop.
During this lecture you will be taken on a journey through the world of oriental scents. Ancient perfume traditions, and the history of these scents, are highlighted through various scent samples and images. We’ll also explore three important oriental scents.
Learn about how Absint led to a political conspiracy, and also how it inspired famous artists like van Gogh. Dare to smell the dangers of this intriguing scent.
Ancient Egypt is known as a mystical and spiritually permeated society. The invisible and intangible smell of fragrant scents that could be experienced made it into something divine. Smell experience therefore, played an important role in Egyptian society. During this lecture, not only is the religious aspect of smell in Ancient Egypt discussed, we also explore the practical use of these kinds of perfume and raw materials.
Natural scents from raw materials : Perfume of plants
The scent of plants are an everyday encounter: drinking your morning orange juice, taking the walk in the pine forest during lunch, the cedar wood window of your house. Natural aromatic plants we find everywhere. Knowledge of aromatic plants usable for distillation en how to make natural perfumes with these, you'll find with me.
Classes & Botanical excursion
Connecting scents works exclusively with natural and organic fragrances: essential oil. Essential oils are fragrances that originate from plants and trees. These are for everyone who is interested in the origin of natural fragrances.
Interactive lecture & Food and scent experience
Fragrant interactive lectures at different levels and various angles of approach. Lectures can also be adapted in business events or your product presentation.
Language: Dutch or English.
BOOK A training or Lecture
During this class, we will distill our own essential oil or hydrolate. Depending on the season, the chosen plant gives a certain oil yield. An essential oil or hydrolate is produced from the distillation. This is a unique and natural product! The whole process from plant material to essential oil and hydrolate is easy to follow. During the process you’ll learn about the many facts, wonderful applications and potency of various types of plants and their essential oils.
Price on request
Join me for a discovery with your nose! How well can you smell? How do you mix fragrances to make a perfume? During this training course, we will make a perfume or a soft, fragrant lip balm. The workshop includes an overview of the workbook the ‘Geurtuin’, written by Claudia.
Price on request
Experience smell, from the raw material to the final product. In this class you can see, smell and feel: an optimal scent experience that provides insights into the beautiful, intangible and volatile world of scents. From history to mystery, from botany to beauty, from the extraction of scents to the making of your own fragrant product. In this class you will experience multiple layers of the phenomenon we call smelling. This workshop starts with a walk to Pinetum Blijdenstein.
The Pinetum is an historic and romantic tree garden, located in a secluded spot, where we learn about the history of the trees and experience their scents. After this, we walk back to the studio, where we will drink a cup of tea and enjoy an aromatic treat. Then we make, after the necessary instruction, our own product using various raw materials.
In case of rain, the whole event takes place at the studio where we replace the visit to the Pinetum with an interactive lecture on fragrance experiences and plant materials. The remaining programme remains the same.
Price on request
Experience smell, from raw material to final product. During this lecture you can see, feel and of course, smell an optimised scent-experience that gives insights into the beautiful, intangible and volatile world of scents. From history to mystery, from botany to the extraction of scents, all this will be covered in the course.
Price on request
Odor v.s. taste
During this interactive lecture you will have a taste of smell; you will learn about fragrant herbs which are frequently used in culinary dishes. Using various odor samples and images, we discover that these herbs, besides the fact that they taste good, also have an effect on our behaviour!
Price on request
Would you like to enjoy various smells and tastes in a special setting? In collaboration with Cuisine Culinaire Hilversum co-founder, Frank van Biemen, this exclusive evening is open to ten enthusiasts of special scent and taste experiences. The setting is in our city villa on the Minister Hartsenlaan. The 'Good mood food' tastings with sensuous scents, provide a special evening, during which you will be treated to an explanation of how various scents work on our zest for life. The culinary surprise tasting sessions cover 5 taste experiences, in which different fragrance groups are discussed. This is truly an inspiration for nose and taste buds, and a great evening in which to enjoy a unique experience.
The evening starts at 18.30 and lasts until about 22.00.
Session: 3 hours | minimum group: 12 | Price on request
Natural scents from raw materials : Perfume of plants
The scent of plants are an everyday encounter: drinking your morning orange juice, taking the walk in the pine forest during lunch, the cedar wood window of your house. Natural aromatic plants we find everywhere. Knowledge of aromatic plants usable for distillation en how to make natural perfumes with these, you'll find with me.
Fragrant training
Connecting scents works exclusively with natural and organic fragrances: essential oil. Essential oils are fragrances that originate from plants and trees. These trainings are for everyone who is interested working with natural ingredients and wants to create their own beauty product.
Fragrant Interactive lectures
Fragrant interactive lectures at different levels and various angles of approach such as a physical, psychological or spiritual approach.
Lectures can also be adapted to business events or your product presentation needs.
Language: Dutch or English
BOOK A training or Lecture
In this class you will be introduced to a number of hydrolates and vegetable oils that can be processed into the facial cream which we will make. The hydrolates and vegetable oils are used in addition to the essential oil, and form the basis of a pure and velvety cream, which can be specially tailored to your own skin-type. This is a wonderful do-it-yourself class, with interesting information about the effects of scents.
Session: 2 hours | Costs p.p.: 22,50 euro ex. btw | minimum group : 6
What is more delicious than a homemade lip-balm to keep your lips sweet and soft in all weather conditions? Join this loose-lipped, blissful workshop and make your own lip-balm based on natural beeswax and essential oil. Learn about the temptations of smells and play with scent in this special workshop.
For schools there is a special version of this workshop
This interactive lecture explains why scents have an effect on the psyche and what their possible applications may be in practice. In addition, a number of fragrances is offered to experience the effects yourself.
Price on request
During this interactive lecture we will experience the world of scents of the past and present. A little history of smell, lots of sniffing and plenty of remembering. Odors are inextricably linked to memories, memories of past experiences. For example, what did it smell like at your childhood home? Which scents evoke beautiful memories? This lecture invites lively exchanges of life’s special moments!
Price on request
Experience a lecture about, and with, smells! Fragrances can be a great way to give shape to your image. In this special version of the usual lectures, sound and tactile materials are used in addition to scent samples to help create yur inner images.
Price on request
This lecture is adapted to the elderly and/or people with a physical or mental limitation.
During this interactive lecture we will experience the world of scents of the past and present. A little history of smell, lots of sniffing and plenty of remembering. Odors are inextricably linked to memories, memories of past experiences. For example, what did it smell like at your childhood home? Which scents evoke beautiful memories? This lecture invites lively exchanges of life’s special moments!
Price on request
Claudia De Vos | Ambass'odor
Claudia De Vos | Geurambassadeur
Master of arts, ‘89 HKU University of the arts Utrecht
naturopathic aromatheraphy | SBA Cum laude ’06 / Jungian psychology | Odrerir ’07)
my personal story you can read HERE
I am a member of the artists association 'de Onafhankelijken' (Amsterdam)
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DO | NOSE NEWS
Exhibiton Calendar | EVENTS
23 april- 31 oktober| NEUZEN in het Pinetum (Tree heritages) Scented Art and tree pathway for the visually impaired | Pinetum Blijdenstein
2 - 8 September | Tradition & experiment | Groupexhibition De Onafhankelijken | Kunstkapel | Pr. Irenestraat 19-1 | Amsterdam
19 November | Lecture on Olfactory art and wellbeing | Symposium 'The design of spatial wellbeing' | 13.00 -17.00 | Kunstloc Brabant | Burgemeester Brokxlaan 1000 | 5041 SG Tilburg | Tickets
April 2020 Groupexhibition by 5 artists of 'De Onafhankelijken' |
MLB Gallery | Amsterdam
Visit my studio in Hilversum (see this map)
All our traings en lectures can be organized exclusivly for you
and your group
Also see : Recent Exhibitions | Partners and users
Magazines | Radio | Video|Various articles | These
YOUTUBE CHANNEL Geurambassadeur
(with HiHaHilarius & de Geurambassadeur (Dutch), all episodes and scent adventures of Sjoerd Hilarius and Claudia at NHRadio)
Soundcloud Geurambassadeur (Radio interviews and more | Dutch)
BLOGS
(Dutch) Geurambassadeur.blogspot.com
(ENG) Ambass-odor.blogspot.com
NEUSbrief (Dutch) Verschijnt gemiddeld elk half jaar en is gevuld met interessante weetjes over natuurlijke geuren.
Visit my studio in Hilversum|The Netherlands
+31 (0)6 5188 4013 | info@connectingscents.com
Claudia De Vos |CONNECTING SCENTS