SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwired - Sep 23, 2013) - Air/Q, a Prolitec Division, is best known for the scenting and air-care solutions it provides to retail stores, hotels, spas, fitness centers and other commercial entities across the globe. But an Australian production company recently made dramatic use of the Milwaukee-based scent leader's patented Air/Q technology -- namely, to evoke the ritual perfumes of ancient Egypt during a performance of eight scenes from the 1983 Philip Glass opera "Akhnaten."
During the Ondine Productions performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, baroque instruments played mesmerizing Glass compositions as ancient sailing vessels plied the Nile. "The sights and sounds blended with an intoxicating and subtly diffused scent created exclusively for the performance," said Marijn Kortekaas, Prolitec's Director of Business Development for Asia Pacific. "Audience members each received an atomizer of the scent as a memento of the experience. The use of scent in the Akhnaten Opera enhanced the performance, making it a complete sensory experience, increasing the impact and memorability, taking it beyond a traditional opera."
Chiaki Nomura, a perfumer with New York-based International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), created the fragrance for Air/Q using evocative notes of bergamot, velvet jasmine and water lily. "'Akhnaten' is a work of art that deals with the life and religion of an ancient pharaoh," Kortekaas said. "But while fragrance design and ambient-scenting certainly are artistic endeavors, they are rooted in sound science as well. Directors always strive to influence the thoughts and feelings of their audiences, and scent is a powerful tool toward that end."
Both Prolitec and IFF are versed in the scientifically established relationships between scent and psychological states, moods and emotions. "Scent impacts the parts of the brain that control memory and emotions, and impacts our appetite, stress levels, and concentration," said Richard Weening, Prolitec CEO.
The ancient practice of aromatherapy is one use of fragrance that relies on these primal connections. "A common misunderstanding of aromatherapy is that it is somewhat unscientific," Weening said. "Actually there is a large body of peer-reviewed research confirming the connection between scent and behavior and cognition."
In its use of scent in an ancient setting, the Sydney performance was in perfect keeping with historical accuracy, Weening noted. "Scent was quite important in the ancient world," he said. "Pedanius Dioscorides, a Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist who practiced in Rome circa 40 to 90 AD, wrote a five-volume work in which he described the use of scents to promote health and well-being."
Today, Air/Q's advanced technology makes it relatively easy for dramatic productions to use the power of smell, dispensing fragrances from fully programmable appliances with on-board computers that give users the ability to adjust the intensity of the scent to meet their specific needs. "This provides uniform coverage as well as intensity -- something that never was possible with the incense burners of the ancient past," Weening said.
About Prolitec-Air/Q Atmospheres
Prolitec, Inc. is a global provider of ambient scenting technology and services under the Air/Q Atmospheres brand to retail stores, hotels, casinos, assisted living communities, offices and other locations. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisc., Prolitec provides scent marketing services in the U.S. directly to major brands. Prolitec also provides services in more than 70 countries around the world though its certified service provider partners. To learn more, visit www.prolitec.com.