BRICK – An olfactory art installation by Stephen Dirkes, feat. Vandal NYC for

New York New Fumes Exhibition opening December 16th, 2021, Art Keller, 25 Henry St., NYC

BRICK is Inspired by the residents of an imagined apartment building on an extremely cold night after the opening of the “New York New Wave” Exhibition at MOMA’s PS1 on February 15th, 1981.

BRICK is New York City slang for very cold weather, as in, “It’s brick out there”. Uniquely New York and an important part of the fabric of our lives, the stuff our homes, schools, offices, shops and streets. Brick is the color of of our landscapes, the texture of our walls, and the canvas for our art.

Energy and excitement is palpable this night, in the shimmering lights of distant skylines, scored by rumbling asphalt, the white noise of a few millions lives, percussive fragments of machines and voices from points unknown, all roughly choreographed humanity in asynchronous altering bustle and repose.

The cold ozonic air of water bound neighborhoods at the end of a long NYC Winter, metal, brick, concrete, paint, plastic, refuse, rot, and alcohol, that fills them, weave the tapestry of this fragrance.

BRICK APARTMENT FACADE
13” x 30” Paper, acrylic paint, plaster, foam core, pine, particleboard, pastel, paint marker

An imagined New York City brick apartment building in 1981. Intended to a “generic” small brick apartment building, or “Brownstone” as can be found throughout the five boroughs, this facade was greatly influenced by similar buildings in my neighborhood. As over a decade long, Greenpoint, Brooklyn resident I’m most familiar with more run down examples of the type.

Serge Milstien, aka Vandal NYC, added miniature graffiti elements with paint marker.

In this installation, I am focused on the outside of this building and it in the landscape of frozen New York which provides its context, more than fragrant notes from the residents. BRICK explores the scents, sites and sounds of an imagined New York City apartment building in February, 1981. The cold ozonic air of water bound neighborhoods in Winter and metal, brick, concrete, paint, plastic, refuse, alcohol, and rot that fills them, weave the tapestry of this fragrance. In this installation, I am focused on the outside of this building and it in the landscape of frozen New York more than fragrant notes from the residents.

Featuring VANDALNYC
Serge Milstein aka @VandalNYC is a visual artist, multimedia designer, and native New Yorker. Serge has created works
for notable players in the entertainment industry such as Run DMC, Sadat X, T.R.A.C., and Play Me Records.

BRICK provided the perfect opportunity for these two long-time creative collaborators to showcase their fascination for the City of New York. Serge created the painted bottle, it’s box, and building facade graffiti accent for the BRICK installation.

BRICK FRAGRANCE MATERIALS

3-(1,3-Benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-methylpropanal

1-(3,3-dimethylcyclohexyl)ethyl formate

2-(4- methylphenoxy)ace aldehyde

(2E,6Z)-nona-2,6-dienal

Galbanum

Cornmint

(4S,4aS,8aR)-4,8a Dimethyloctahydronaphthalen-4a(2H)-ol

2-pentylcyclopentan-1-ol

5-butyl-5-ethyloxan-2-one

2,4-dimethyl-2-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-2 naphthalenyl)-1,3-dioxolane

(4-methylphenyl) acetate

Birch Tar

2-(3,8-dimethyl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydroazulen-5-yl)propan-2-yl acetate

Myrrh

Coffee

Ginger