Take a Walk Around Vineyard Haven 2.0, MA

I’m not sure why, but the photo I interpreted [from stop 1] struck me immediately as having to do with function and abandonment. I’m not sure I even fully absorbed the full image before my mind was on faded glory. The narrative was about this boat carrying out its duty day in and day out. Suddenly, one day it realizes that it’s been forgotten and that it has been alone for some time. The boat, so busy being a boat, had overlooked its own abandonment. So with this cold, hard reality, the boat comes to grips with its no longer being sought after or loved as it once was. I couldn’t help but sympathize. Clearly, this weathered boat has seen better days, but from this angle, its bow seems to be a statement of pride and power. I started playing arpeggios of the first two chords while I fumbled with melody lines and almost instantly sang ” I can remember I used to walk with my chest out and my shoulders back….”

Thematically, the song I interpreted [from stop 2] spoke of a mixture of longing, wistfulness, acceptance, and remembrance of loves past. A lot of my pre-marital life was spent in wistful contemplation… attached to some love that didn’t work out or the way life should have been. The song reminded me of my premarital longing and romanticizing ways. In that vein, my wife (the model) and I tried to make a picture that felt a little hazy, not quite clear, like an old memory – the little things you remember about someone you once loved, or who once loved you.

In reaction to the photograph on stop 3, David created a perfume titled “Despair.” It has a strong coffee essence, burnt incense and frankincense, some chocolate, and white rose.

The single word that came to mind on seeing this photograph was DESPAIR. I immediately recalled some very dark times my mother went through that, as a child, I witnessed. After I was born, she had a number of miscarriages which seemed to trigger a deep-set depression that lasted for many years. To translate this image I used a coffee essence along with burnt incense resin and frankincense resin to create a very dark base, to which I added a strong shot of coffee, some chocolate, and white rose. The rose reflects my belief that no matter how dark things get we still get up and face the day. These scents are just a wisp or undercurrent below the main fragrance of despair but I wanted to add vestiges of hope because from my own experience, which includes significant personal medical trauma and near death, I have found that humans, unless consumed by madness, will try to find hope and a ray of light even in our darkest hours.

The perfume I interpreted [from stop 4] had this smoky, grimy quality to it (in the best, most poetic sense of the word). A few whiffs left me feeling very salacious. I wanted to go out, drink Mescal, smoke cigars, and talk nonsense with women. I wanted to create something that commented on masculinity in a way that presented images of what’s underneath modern signifiers of masculinity, specifically those presented to us by advertising–– a “pre-game” if you will. I think there can be a lot of self-doubt that goes into the creation of a confident, seemingly infallible male ego. Particularly in the creation of a hipster.

The message I got from the film I interpreted [from stop 5] was about ‘Making the best of what’s left’. I asked myself, ‘How can you make the best of what’s left of something that used to be magnificent?’ Antlers and skulls have always been an inspiration to me. They are sculptures themselves and also tell an animal’s story. They change with time even after the animal has passed. My goal was to preserve what was left.