SOLD OUT
On October 20-24 I will be giving a glimpse inside the world of perfumery during a 3-day science & art event in France. I will be joined by Luca Turin and together we will explain various aspects of smell, from the chemistry and neuroscience of olfaction to the art and culture of perfume.
The event is part of the Science & Vacation program, and it’s designed to give you as rich and multifaceted an experience as possible. You will learn about the anatomy and physiology of the sense of smell, study the perfumer’s palette, smell rare vintage fragrances–and by rare, I mean Coty Chypre, original versions of Guerlain Mitsouko and other Osmothèque worthy treasures, and even learn about the basics of fragrance composition. The course will take place in the Lubéron region famous for its lavender fields, and there will be lots of good food, wine and interesting discussions.
Reservations can be made via Science & Vacation. For all of the logistical details, accommodation and prices, please contact Science & Vacation directly.
Also, on October 6-10th, Science & Vacation will have a food related course presented by Guelia Pevzner. “Over the course of a long weekend in October, we are presenting a series of lectures and discussions on the subject of food and its future. We also plan to indulge in sampling a variety of regional French cuisines.” It’s worth taking a look.
Photography by Bois de Jasmin
57 Comments
Cornelia Blimber: Congratulations, it will be a great time! May 6, 2016 at 7:58am
Victoria: We hope so. 🙂 May 6, 2016 at 8:54am
Caroline: Have no doubt the info will be presented thoughtfully and in an entertaining fashion! What a step in your career, congrats. May 6, 2016 at 8:18am
Victoria: I’ve been giving similar courses for quite a while now, but this one is open to anyone interested and it should be very fun. Plus, Luca and I have complementary skills and we designed the course to be a great learning experience, and most importantly, lots of enjoyment of scents in different contexts. May 6, 2016 at 8:57am
Alicia: How exciting! What a splendid occasion for all fragrance lovers, Congratulations, Victoria. How I wish I could be there to hear some of Turin’s charming irreverences, perhaps smell the mythical Iris Gris, and above all meet you, who I have come to admire and cherish.
Dazzle them, and then tell us. Bon voyage! May 6, 2016 at 8:32am
Victoria: How I’d love that too! I hope that we’ll have an opportunity to meet. May 6, 2016 at 8:57am
Austenfan: This sounds like it will be great fun for all parties concerned. You can get some good olive oil as well, not very far from the Lubéron. May 6, 2016 at 9:49am
Victoria: That’s a great region for food! May 6, 2016 at 11:14am
Austenfan: I haven’t visited that particular corner in a while, but I could give you some tips about markets, soaps and olive oil that should mostly still be usable.
It’s beautiful out there, and in October most of the large masses will be gone, so you can appreciate the area much more. My favourite time for visiting the South of France is either spring or autumn anyway. It gets very hot in summer. May 6, 2016 at 11:31am
Victoria: Thank you very much. I appreciate any tips. May 6, 2016 at 3:17pm
aromaology2015: Victoria, this sounds really exciting. Will the course be in English or French? May 6, 2016 at 9:50am
Victoria: It will be in English. May 6, 2016 at 11:14am
limegreen: Can’t wait to hear about it, whatever you can share! 🙂 May 6, 2016 at 10:02am
Victoria: I will definitely share more! May 6, 2016 at 11:15am
Joy: What an opportunity! I have hiked, dined, drunk the wine in the Luberon. I have such fond memories of this beautiful place.
Enjoy your time there! May 6, 2016 at 10:22am
Victoria: I’ve never visited there-although I’ve worked with the amazing lavender from the region, and I look forward to it. May 6, 2016 at 11:15am
Phyllis Iervello: What a wonderful event…I wish I could be there! May 6, 2016 at 10:31am
Victoria: That would be so nice. May 6, 2016 at 11:16am
Patricia: Wow, what an amazing event, held in a beautiful location! You and Luca Turin will hold everyone spellbound with your presentations. 🙂 May 6, 2016 at 1:29pm
Victoria: It’s a pleasure to work on this together, so I look forward to October. And of course, meeting new people will be great. May 6, 2016 at 3:09pm
Elisa: Dream course!!! This sounds utterly amazing. May 6, 2016 at 2:20pm
Victoria: I look forward to Luca’s portion of the lecture very much. We will each have 3h each day for our respective lectures, so it will be an intense but fun experience. May 6, 2016 at 3:15pm
noele: This sounds like a wonderful opportunity…it would indeed by a dream to hear both you and Luca speak. I am intrigued… May 6, 2016 at 3:31pm
Victoria: I would love to meet many of you too. May 9, 2016 at 12:53am
Tijana: Awesome, I wish I could attend! Good luck!
❤️ May 6, 2016 at 8:44pm
Victoria: Thank you! May 10, 2016 at 11:20am
iodine: You and Luca Turin, the Haute Provence, perfume talk with a scientific backbone…. A dream! I’d love to be there!!
In any case keep report back, please.
🙂 May 7, 2016 at 1:37am
Victoria: Luca Turin is a marvelous lecturer and one of the most erudite people I’ve met, so I can’t imagine a better partner for such a course.
I will do! May 10, 2016 at 11:24am
JoDee: If I were planning to be near the Lubéron this October I would definitely sign up! This sounds like a fantastic course. Have you considered doing a similar program in the USA? May 7, 2016 at 12:58pm
Victoria: The call is with Science & Vacation and their team. A similar course in the States would be a great idea, and we have plenty of interesting places in the country where it could be held. May 10, 2016 at 11:27am
Merve: I want to participate in this course as well. How can i? May 8, 2016 at 6:21am
Victoria: The link to reserve is listed above, via Science and Vacation. May 8, 2016 at 11:10am
Merve: Oh well.. when i checked, it seemed to me more about gastro than olfactory. Athough they are related i still would like to experience a fragrance thing. Thank you anyway! May 10, 2016 at 6:17pm
Victoria: Please click here
http://scienceandvacation.com/#courses
and then click on the link called “The Secret of Scent”
20th-24th October 2016
The food course is a completely different thing altogether, unrelated to what Luca Turin and I will be doing. May 11, 2016 at 2:21am
luca turin: Is that Cécile Zarokian in the backround? May 8, 2016 at 9:02am
Victoria: She’s a young lab technician at Mane, but, yes, she looks a little like Cecile. May 9, 2016 at 12:52am
Nick: A little too pricey for me, at the moment. But I would to be in similar courses after I have started my first real job soon! May 8, 2016 at 12:43pm
Victoria: Good luck with your first job, Nick! That sounds exciting. May 10, 2016 at 11:28am
Nick: Well, not as exciting as the other real job — should that happen as I am still waiting for the answer! It has been seven months now and I hope my passion gets through 🙂 May 10, 2016 at 5:51pm
Victoria: Fingers crossed, Nick! I know that you’ll get there. May 11, 2016 at 2:22am
Normand: Wow! Sounds wonderful and from the perfume, dare I say, dream team. And I just got money back from my tax return! A message from heaven? I’ll never sleep tonight! Grrrrrr!
Normand May 8, 2016 at 7:28pm
Victoria: 🙂
If I can answer any questions (relating to the content of the course), please don’t hesitate to ask. May 10, 2016 at 11:29am
Aurora: This sounds wonderful, Victoria, I’m sure you make a great team and that it will be a great success.
Alas, I cannot attend this year, but fingers crossed it is repeated and then it would be my dream to attend and meet you in person. May 9, 2016 at 7:46am
Victoria: I will keep fingers crossed too. It would be such a pleasure to meet you. May 10, 2016 at 11:17am
Mia: Wow, superinteresting! Enjoy! May 9, 2016 at 2:30pm
Victoria: Thank you, Mia! May 10, 2016 at 11:15am
Teresa: Ahhh, wish I could go! Have been wanting to visit the region. However, with a new addition to the family coming very soon, this course is out of our budget. Ah well, maybe a few years later if you still have such courses then! May 10, 2016 at 1:09pm
Sofie: Sounds amazing! May 13, 2016 at 3:29am
CC: Is there any chance of live streaming, for those of us on the other side of the Earth? Or even just a video upload post-event?
How I wish for teleportation…. May 13, 2016 at 9:24am
Victoria: You can contact Science & Vacation and ask them about it. But I think that given the structure of the course, it’s not a viable option. There will be lots of activities, not just lectures. May 13, 2016 at 2:25pm
Ann: This course/vacation sounds like a dream come true! SO excited to discover that something like this actually even exists!!! I hope to attend! May 14, 2016 at 12:35pm
OperaFan: Dear V,
I wish you great success with this course so that repeats will be made possible in future years. One never knows when opportunity may present itself for some of us. I just had an encounter this past weekend that I never thought to be possible, so I have hope for this.
a : ) May 18, 2016 at 3:11pm
Victoria: Fingers crossed! 🙂 Thank you very much, and yes, I hope that there will be another opportunity for us to meet. May 19, 2016 at 6:38am
Haefennasiel: Hello! Am so sorry if this question is rather late, but I still would like to ask – will this course be repeated next year or in the near future? July 21, 2016 at 8:51am
Victoria: It will depend on our work and other engagements, but this year we will give only this course. July 21, 2016 at 9:09am
Liz: What a duo of lecturers and what a fascinating insights and discussions will take place! I have visited the Luberon twice in recent years, staying both times in Apt, where the market is to die for! And the place I stayed – La Madone. I won’t make it for your event but would love to see a repeat in a year to come. It would make a real treat away from my menfolk for a brief sojourn to indulge my passion for scent! Wishing you well with it Victoria! I know Luca is sometimes in London at events – perhaps I can catch him there on a trip back home! August 8, 2016 at 10:20am
Victoria: Thank you very much, Liz. Hope that we will have another occasion to meet. August 8, 2016 at 12:37pm