Xyloflor

Xyloflor® is a dreamlike bouquet created by Paris-based perfumer Nicolas Bonneville and fragrance house Firmenich to accompany the exhibition of Shezad Dawood: Night in The Garden of Love. Fusing wood (xylon) and flora, the fragrance is named after an invented, mutant word - Xyloflor. Shezad Dawood (b. 1974) is known for his exploration of non-Western traditions that inform and intersect with established canons. Yusef Lateef (1920-2013) was an African-American composer and musician who pioneered the integration of world instruments to expand the boundaries of jazz traditions. Over time, he developed a methodology he called Autophysiopsychic music. “It is about heightened consciousness and aims to activate the physical, mental and spiritual senses simultaneously,” states Dawood. Aware of Lateef’s music since his own youth, Dawood became fascinated with Lateef’s ideas after seeing his drawings, which function as abstract musical notation, and present organic, plant-like forms. Titled Night in the Garden of Love after Lateef’s 1988 novella, the exhibition features music, a selection of drawings and the scent Xyloflor® bringing to life the various plant notes of the Garden’s collectively imagined ecosystem. The perfume - with hints of jasmine and brugmansia - is housed in a specially designed ceramic vase developed in collaboration with Ofumum . A limited series of artist signed edition soliflor and scent is available to purchase. Its unique shape and colors have been designed by Shezad Dawood. Presentations: Wiels, Brussels, Belgium, May 18 - August 13, 2023 Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, Canada, Nov. 10, 2023 - May 5, 2024 Jhaveri Contemporay, Mumbai, 2025 Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi, 2026