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| Mark your calendars! Steffen Arctander is the focus of an upcoming Smell & Tell at the Ann Arbor District Library. |
Inside the Olfactory Mind of Steffen Arctander
Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Time: 5:30PM -7:30PM
Location: Ann Arbor District Library (Downtown)
Address: 343 S 5th Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Phone: 734-327-4200
Steffen Arctander was a renowned chemist, perfumer and flavorist. He is best known for authoring Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin (1960). The encyclopedic book contains more than 500 monographs on natural materials inclusive of aromatic descriptions and classifications to help the user evaluate sensory impressions.
Arctander’s legacy reaches beyond the pages of his book. He participated in the Danish Resistance when he was a student and worked for British Intelligence during WWII, narrowly escaping capture by the Gestapo. Steffen Arctander appeared on To Tell The Truth in 1964, a gutsy and taboo move for someone in a famously secretive industry.
The fragrance flight for this program includes novel natural materials. We’ll use Arctander’s descriptors for guidance after blind smelling each one to get a better understanding of ourselves, and Arctander’s enduring legacy as the author of a magnificent “dictionary of smells”.
The Smell and Tell series of art+science programming is led by Michelle Krell Kydd, a trained nose in flavors and fragrance who shares her passion for gastronomy, sensory evaluation and the perfume arts on Glass Petal Smoke. Smell & Tell builds community through interactions with flavor, fragrance and storytelling.
Notes:
Locating the footage from To Tell The Truth featuring Steffen Arctander was complicated by the fact that his name is misspelled in the YouTube video as "Contestant #3: Stefan Octander (Perfume expert)". Google search started directing traffic to Arctander's television appearance after I posted a story about it on February 17, 2021. The transcription on YouTube was worth correcting for posterity. I provided a proper transcription in the article.
The image that accompanies this post is Spring Garden by Omoda Seiju (1917).
