Norlan - Chapter III
VAM
TERRAIN FRAGRANCE AND DIFFUSER
Welcome to the Incense The Ritual.
VAM was conceived as an aromatic odyssey through three iconic regions of Scotland—the Highlands, the Isle of Skye, and the Isle of Islay.
The creative process was grounded by a physical journey as Mark Buxton and Sruli Recht traveled to each region, collecting compound samples, exploring indigenous botanicals, and deep-diving into the philosophy of aromatic sense memory.
In Collaboration - Mark Buxton
Photography - Marinó Thorlacius
Monolith Diffuser
The Vam Monolith Diffuser is a new type of object. It is a sculptural object of post-internet aesthetic—a cube rotated through the horizontal plane, pausing in its path—for the sole purpose of aromatic diffusion.
Building upon the use of common ceramics for room scents, we have utilized silicone carbide ceramic foam, a material used in industrial metal production, and bent it to our unflinching will.
Here the reticulated ceramic serves two functions. The porous branched structure creates more surface area for the absorption of the oil while providing an open body for passive biomimetic airflow, thereby increasing the dispersion of the fragrance.
TERRAIN FRAGRANCE
The Vam Terrain Fragrance Is an olfactive hologram, reflecting the aromatic contours of three distinctive regions of Scotland, developed to enrich your interior environment.
The word vam, from the Old Scottish Dictionary, carries two primary meanings: it can refer to a spell (or hypnotic influence), or to an aroma. Fittingly, we have chosen this name for our terrain fragrance, for scent is transportative and one’s experience of it is an emotional and physiological journey to the oldest part of the brain, the root of our memories.
We made the Vam Terrain Fragrance to harnesses the ultra-powerful sense of smell to transport you to another place employing the intense power of smell-memory total-recall to create an olfactive hologram of a place you may have never been.
With the Vam Terrain Fragrance, we employ the total recall of our perfumer Mark Buxton and creative director Sruli Recht, who took a trip through Scotland: first the Highlands, then the Isle of Skye, and finally the Isle of Islay. As they travelled, they took notes, botanicals, air samples, and aromatic mnemonics. From these they crafted a scent odyssey for you to experience, a memory you may never have had.
A hero’s journey for you to embark on, return from, and retell in your own words amongst hearth and home.
Exploring the Notes
Film and Edit - Move Studios Berlin
Music Composition - Helgi Svavar Helgason
On the dense wet edge of the HIGHLANDS
The Highlands scent recalls the running water, sharp wet stone, dense vegetation of pine and moss, and late sunlight flickering through the trees at the edge of the Cairngorms National Park. It is designed as a close proximity, evoking the mystery of the forest and the unknown. It is the hero’s call to adventure.
Below the looming sharp rocks of SKYE
The Skye scent takes you to a windswept but sheltered valley, high above the sea and just below the epic rock formation of Storr. It is designed as a mystical fragrance, evoking the ethereal but also the dangerous. It is the crossing of the threshold in the hero's journey.
Where the coast divides the water and sky on ISLAY
The Islay scent lies at the intersection of land, sea and sky, calling to mind the saltiness of the ocean, peaty smoke, and heather. It is designed as a wide, open space where the unstoppable force of currents collide. It is the death and rebirth of the hero.
“Every object I design within the Norlan universe aims to heightens the senses via the engagement of the ritual - The introduction of the VAM fragrance is the first time we have been entirely focused on the the olfactive experience, rather than simply the ritual object in a singular manner by stimulating the imagination through construction of a room fragrance.Inhaling the terrain fragrances - from pouring the oil, charging the block to meditating on the practice and performance, these are the tools of engagement that redefine an experience.
And through the similar practice of incense-listening, we use the method for transportive effect and highlight that to smell is to feel, to imagine, to drift.There is no sense more tied to memory, to experiences... to the emotional ground than the individual sense of smell. These are designed for transportive effect and highlight that to smell is to feel, to imagine, to drift.
Each person will experience the VAM fragrance in a very personal way, exploring a varied journey.”