Ancient astronomy meets digital art | Aēsop Aromatique Candles

The cosmetics company Aēsop made its first short film to debut its first scented candle collection. The video was created in collaboration with media artist Mattis Dovier, and it’s inspired by the cosmos, astronomy, and mythology.

I’ve never been the type who’s captivated by media art—I didn’t want to sit in front of screens even when enjoying art. But the quarantine brought about many changes: over time, I found myself eagerly browsing dreamscapes on Instagram for hours, or happily immersing myself in a meditative video installation. I’m not yet at the point where I’d buy VR equipment for myself, but who knows what the future holds…

I’ve been drawn to the brand Aēsop for a long time, and now, thanks to the campaign of their new scented candle collection Aromatique Candles, I think they’ve grown into a love brand in my eyes, as I cherish candles as well as the world of antiquity, and I’ve also confessed my new attraction to the video art in the previous paragraph. The collection consisting of three scents was dreamt up by perfumer Barnabé Fillion, and each candle was named after an ancient astronomer.

Aganice (or Aglaonice) was the first female astronomer in ancient Greece who, when she discovered how to predict lunar eclipses through calculation, told people she’s able to control the Moon… The scent named after her is a light, floral creation, a transition from spring to summer. The fresh, citrusy candle dubbed Callippus was named after one of the most famous scientists of antiquity, while the third one, Ptolemy, exhaling an earthy fragrance, pays homage to a polyhistor who had a significant influence on medieval cosmology.

This concept was supplemented by a short film created by Parisian media artist Mattis Dovier and art director Camille Legrand, which takes us on an ancient sea voyage. The visual world of the short film—for which they suggest quiet surroundings and headphones—evokes Dürer’s engravings and the pixelated screens of old-school IBM models at the same time. Still, I wouldn’t call it nostalgic, perhaps exactly because it condenses so many eras into one piece of art that they extinguish one another.

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Source of images: Camille Legrand (art director)

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