When the word Mediterranean is mentioned, instantly my perceptions are nice beaches with beautiful blue sea, warm and sunny, laid-back and relax. Just like what I imagine a perfect vacation would be. It is just that I have never been. The closest thing I have encountered with Mediterranean is through food.
The strongest that evokes from my mind about it is the aroma. The scents of various herbs that blend together create a distinctive fragrance that identifies the region. The sense of smell triggers emotions and memories, like other sense of body do. I want to take this opportunity of participating Design Parade to explore the possibilities of integrating scents to elevate a spatial experience.
My aim is to create a room where it is surrounded by familiar scents yet it is visually somewhat hidden. It is like going through a labyrinth, a metaphor of going through the unknown before getting the destination, a dining room in the aromatic garden. Taking inspiration from the formality of French garden and relaxed atmosphere of the south, this dining room is hoped to evoke pleasant memories of summer feasts.
Scrubland or garrigue is founded in the landscape of South of France, growing on the limestone surface. The plants are bushy and fragrant, and many are used as herbs such as lavender, thyme, rosemary and sage. In the kitchen, they preserve such leaves by drying and hanging them. I want to incorporate the idea hanging herbs with kinetic sculpture as that acts as a labyrinth where the visitors have to go through it to the table while smelling the inviting herb scents. As the visitors get closer, the floor surface changes to limestone gravel to give them nostalgic feeling of talking a walk in the garden. When the visitors are in the center of the labyrinth, they are not wandering anymore. The garden wanders around them.
