“MIP – VILLA ARSON pilot program”
Carla Barkatz, a 2020 graduate of Villa Arson, is the winner of the 2024 Essentiel·les MIP – VILLA ARSON Award. This pilot program aims to support emerging creation by giving Villa Arson alumni the opportunity to innovatively experiment with the relationships between artistic creation, sensory dimension, and scientific research, in partnership with the International Perfume Museum (MIP) and the Institute of Chemistry of the University of Côte d’Azur.
In this context, Carla Barkatz presents the installation STEEL LIFE at the International Perfume Museum (MIP) from January 10 to June 15, 2025. STEEL LIFE, conceived in 2025, is an installation combining various materials – raw and sandblasted steel, copper, glass, biscuit-fired porcelain – and exploring the notion of porosity. The work also incorporates a copper rust infusion and a three-finger gripper, embodying an aesthetic and scientific research that questions social, physical, and disciplinary permeability.
A Dialogue Between Arts, Sciences, and Olfactory Traditions
This installation examines the relationship between contemporary creation and olfactory dimensions by intersecting three main axes:
– the olfactory tradition of the perfumer glove-maker, inspired by Simon Barbes’ historical recommendations on the treatment of gloves and skins;
– olfaction in working-class literature, echoing the narratives of R. Linhart, E. Zola, T. Pillon, G. Mungo, and S. Veil;
– the medium of ceramics, used as a container and diffuser of odors, amplifying the links between materials and senses.
A Program Supporting Emerging Creation
The Essentiel·les MIP – VILLA ARSON Award, initiated in 2022 by the Communauté d’Agglomération du Pays de Grasse (CAPG) and Villa Arson, was born from a framework agreement signed by Jérôme Viaud, President of CAPG, and Sylvain Lizon, Director of Villa Arson. This program supports Villa Arson graduates (DNSEP, Master of Art) by allowing them to innovatively experiment with the relationship between art and olfaction.
Since 2023, the project has integrated a research laboratory thanks to the collaboration with the University of Côte d’Azur. After Alice Magne in 2022 and Liv Jourdan in 2023, Carla Barkatz, the 2024 winner, continues this dynamic by proposing an installation of unique conceptual and aesthetic richness.
