Discovery Set

A house begun on a wish, to make with no limits of budget or materials.

Olfactory art for art's sake: the classics reframed in a way that presents them with a new sense of wonder. Behind the releases, a grandmother's creek south of Saint Louis, a saying sailors keep about the sky, Eliot's fog, Magritte's painted words, a song by The Jesus and Mary Chain. In the bottles, osmanthus absolute by sides of it less celebrated, a lavender oil from the flowers only, a coffee tincture of a locally roasted Yirgacheffe, and pipe tobacco and whiskey as reproductions, extractions and distillations.

Maher Olfactive is the work of Shawn Maher. The wish to make without restrictions on budget or materials led to this house. Olfactory art for art's sake: classic materials reframed in a way that presents them with a new sense of wonder. Behind the releases: a creek in the woods behind a grandmother's house south of Saint Louis, a sailors' saying about the sky, a line of T.S. Eliot's, the words painted under Magritte's pipe, a song of The Jesus and Mary Chain's.

Among the materials: osmanthus absolute taken by some of its less celebrated sides, its sweet, rich side made richer still through an oil made from lavender flowers alone, so none of the camphor of the stems comes with it; a coffee tincture Maher made from a locally roasted Yirgacheffe; and pipe tobacco and whiskey, not truly the things themselves but reproductions of them, extractions and distillations.