Installation with video and custom fragrances. 2015, “Tomboy” at ODETTA Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
“Everything Nice” celebrates the various dimensions of the tomboy. The etymology of the word tomboy suggests links to tumbling, dance and sport, but also to rudeness and immodesty. In the 1570’s the term could also mean “strumpet.” “Everything Nice” revolves around The Powerpuff Girls, contemporary tomboys who embody the bold and adventurous tomboy style by fighting crime (i.e. kicking ass for a good cause) and also creating a bit of trouble, as girls are wont to do.
In the episode “Twisted Sister,” Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup make a new sister to help them fight crime. Bringing their own interpretation to Professor Utonium’s formula for making a Powerpuff Girl, i.e. “sugar and spice and everything nice,” they engage in a creative act of alchemy, with results that are both magical and monstrous. During the installation, four scents were diffused into the gallery, each matching one of the ingredients used to create the fourth Power Puff girl, i.e. flowers, football + boxing gloves, books, and dirt + twigs. The fifth scent, named Tomboy, combines the four into a wearable fragrance.
Possibly an allegory about the joys and the risks that come from creativity, a comment on gender expression, or just plain fun, “Twisted Sister” also provides a window into the practice of perfumery, where the end result is not entirely predictable, and often much greater than the sum of its parts.
Limited edition, numbered 1 oz. bottles of the Tomboy fragrance are available for $40. Use the Contact page to get in touch if you want to order a bottle.
Credits: Installation with scents by Demeter® Fragrance Library and video excerpt of Powerpuff Girls Season 2, Episode 11 “Twisted Sister,” copyright 2000 Cartoon Network, created by Craig McCracken, storyboard by Clayton Morrow, art direction by Don Shank, directed by John McIntyre and Craig McCracken.
