Press Room

Audiences at MAD Will Experience the Never-Before-Perceived-Scent of the Agalinis Acuta, the Only Federally Protected Endangered Plant Species in New York State

New York, NY (September 19, 2014)

As part of its NYC Makers: The MAD Biennial exhibition, the Museum of Arts and Design presents Miriam Simun’s Agalinis Dreams on October 8, 2014. Simun invites audiences to participate in a ritual of remembering this minuscule, beautiful and elusive species whose flowers bloom only one day a year. Involving all the senses, the performance combines a 3-channel video installation, live performance, and cocktails paired with the never-before-experienced scent of the Agalinis Acuta.

The scale of the Agalina Acuta flower is such that its scent has never before been perceivable by humans. Simun worked in collaboration with International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), using IFF’s proprietary Livings™ technology to capture the olfactive molecules of the Agalinis Acuta as it grows. The scent was then recreated for human perception in collaboration with Clement Gavarry, Senior Perfumer at IFF. Participants will be invited to don the Agalinis-scented dosdii–a wearable device currently on view as part of the MAD Biennial that makes use of scent to produce flavor illusions—and imbibe a specially-crafted ceremonial libation.

Agalinis Dreams invites visitors in commemorating this single species while exploring larger questions at the intersection of ecology and human history. Through the story of the attempted revival of the Agalinis Acuta from the brink of extinction, the performance explores the interwoven relationship of species loss, cultural change, bio-political structures and notions of progress.

Wednesday October 8th

at 7pm, 7:30pm, 8pm

Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019

Tickets $25, includes two drinks ($20 for students and members)

To purchase tickets visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/755215 or call 1-800-838-3006

Agalinis Dreams is commissioned by the Museum of Arts and Design for NYC Makers: The MAD Biennial, an exhibition that spotlights the creative communities thriving across the five boroughs today. Additional support provided by International Flavors & Fragrances, Adirondack Distilling Company, Creative Capital, Stream Gallery and the Andy Warhol Visual Arts Program at the Long Island Nature Conservancy.

About Miriam Simun

Miriam Simun is a research-based artist working across mediums. Much of her work interrogates the implications of socio-technical-environmental change. She has exhibited internationally, including at the Museum of Arts and Design, Rauschenberg Project Space, Postmasters Gallery and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; and has been featured in publications such as BBC, CBC, MTV, ARTNews and Art21. Simun is a 2013 Creative Capital Grantee in the Emerging Fields.

About International Fragrances & Flavors (IFF)

IFF is a global creator and manufacturer of flavors and fragrances for consumer products with global headquarters in New York City.  IFF maintains a 5,000 square foot botanical garden with hundreds of exotic plants to provide perfumers with sustainable access to rare plants and scents across the world. Subha Patel, Director of Nature Inspired Fragrance Technologies ™ used IFF’s proprietary Livings ™ to capture the olfactive molecules of the Agalinis Acuta for the first time.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) champions contemporary makers across creative fields—presenting artists, designers, and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill to their work. Since the Museum’s founding in 1956 by philanthropist and visionary Aileen Osborn Webb, MAD has celebrated all facets of making and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies. Today, the Museum’s curatorial program builds upon a rich history of exhibitions that emphasize a cross-disciplinary approach to art and design, and reveals the workmanship behind the objects and environments that shape our everyday lives. MAD provides an international platform for practitioners who are influencing the direction of cultural production and driving 21^st-century innovation, fostering a participatory setting for visitors to have direct encounters with skilled making and compelling works of art and design.