STEPHEN DIRKES
SYSTEMS & STRUCTURES
for Transmedial Storytelling
SYNESTHESIA SPACE
Friday, August 13th, 8PM
47 Thames St., #306
Bushwick, Brooklyn
11237
Olfactory Art
Olfactory artist and Euphorium Brooklyn perfume house founder/ perfumer, Stephen Dirkes presents approaches to transmedial interpretation of scent, sound, and sight in olfactory art.
“MOTION ETUDES: FLIGHT”, composition & multichannel film, Stephen Dirkes
The presentation will include examples of Mr. Dirkes’ music, film, and scent work and will be followed by an artist Q&A.
With a background in music composition, filmmaking, and perfumery, Stephen brings his unique creative experience to speak on creating multimedia art and making connections between these disciplines.
“The Dream of the Butterfly”, film & fragrance, Stephen Dirkes, 2018
Mr. Dirkes will identify some structural connections between mediums he employs in his immersive storytelling.
“CASE #432”, film and fragrance, Stephen Dirkes, 2016
Fragrances will be sampled to experience the unique durational effects Stephen achieves in his perfumery to the service of narrative storytelling.
“Rudolph Komodo’s Tales From Señora Bustelo’s Apartments – The Duel in the Dessert” , Stephen Dirkes, 2013
Environmental landscapes are explored in scent and extend the two dimensional space of projected film.
Curator, Mio Nakai, Equipment test for SYSTEMS & STRUCTURES presentation ( photo – Andrew Norris )
Synesthesia Space is an art gallery/event space founded in 2018 and
located in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Synesthesia presents experimental music, film, and cultural workshops, with a mission is to build a local
community through the arts in Bushwick and to provide a platform for
artists to showcase experimental works.
“RATIO 422” Installation Map, Stephen Dirkes, 2019
Abstract organizational principles, ratios, algorithms, and number theory have long been employed in Western Classical music traditions. From Pythagoras to contemporary composers and theorists, systems to visualize the organization of sound also evolve.
Mr. Dirkes will offer a sneak peek at upcoming olfactory art installations for 2020 and some of the means of connectivity between sound, sight, and scent he is employing based on pattern, ratio, number theory, and chemical structure.
Stephen Dirkes Presenting Fragrance at BBFL, Brooklyn, NY, 2019
ARTIST BACKGROUND
Studies in classical music composition and early music perform at the Royal Conservatory of Music Toronto, University of Toronto, Simon Frazer University, and University of Michigan, led to work in electronic music, scoring, and ethnomusicology in Korea, Japan, and Indonesia. Recipient of the Darmasiswa scholarship from the Indonesian Ministry of Culture to study traditional Sundanese music of West Java, Mr. Dirkes had the opportunity to work with several dance, theater, and music organizations to study and collaborate on new work.
Moving to Prague and later, New York, Stephen began to become more interested and involved in directing, art department, and camera for animation and film in addition to his work as a composer. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Stephen has performed or exhibited film, multimedia art installation, and olfactory art in; Berlin, Havana, Jakarta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, La Jolla, New York, Mexico City, Paris, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, San Paulo, Santa Fe, Seoul, and Toronto.
Stephen Dirkes is the founder and perfumer of Euphorium Brooklyn perfume house. An exploration in scented storytelling/ storytelling in scent, Euphorium Brooklyn is presented as a fictional 19th century secret society, perfume house, and drug cult, based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Directed by three perfumers, each fragrance tells another chapter in the story, reflects the perfumers interests and background, and is connected to aspects of actual 19th century historical events, personae, and culture. With the launch of 10 fragrances, Euphorium Brooklyn, is widely reviewed, awarded, and collected.