About this Event
Driven by "orchidelirium" and colonial plunder, the Victorian obsession with exotic botany devolved into fears of tropical madness and revengeful flora—immortalized in tales like H. G. Wells’s vampiric The Flowering of the Strange Orchid.
This lecture explores fictional femme-fatale flowers and fin-de-siècle scent decadence through the lenses of ecohorror and psychoanalysis, examining perfume’s power to trigger monstrous regressions.
During the talk, we will sample a selection of hothouse horrors—including damp jungle accords, orchidaceous bases, and niche jungly fragrances.
Instructor: J. W. Dotson
Cost: $45.00
Duration: 2 hours
Attendance cap: 12 people
About J. W. Dotson
J.W. Dotson MD is a psychiatrist and an independent scholar fascinated by scent sorcery, cultural and anthropological olfaction studies, ethnobotany, premodern medicine, medical astrology, and astrological magic and remediation. James has presented esoteric fragrance lectures as part of The Scent and Society series at the Institute for Art and Olfaction and is a recurring speaker for The Salem Witchcraft and Folklore Festival and Morbid Anatomy. He is currently an instructor at The Celestial Arts Education Library and serves on the Advisory Board of the Archive of Healing.
This Workshop is Good for: Beginners, advanced beginners, intermediate
Registration Required: Please note that you must reserve your space in advance. If you just show up without reserving a spot, there is no guarantee we will be able to accommodate you. Space at this event is limited. All levels are welcome, but this session is 18 and up (or 14+, with adult supervision).
Materials: Handouts and materials are included in the sign-up cost, and provided by the IAO during class.
Location: We are located in Los Angeles’ historic Chinatown neighborhood, on a pedestrian street.
Street Address: 932 Chung King Road Los Angeles CA. 90012
To find us: Chung King Road is a pedestrian-only road that runs parallel to Hill Street, between Hill St and Yale St. See more information here: http://artandolfaction.com/visit
Attendance and Refund Policy: This is an in person class that will take place at the Institute for Art and Olfaction. Cancellation with refund made 1 week or more (7 days) before the scheduled session will be honored unless materials or formulas have been shared in advance. Refunds requested 1 week or less before the class starts, on the day of the class or after the class has happened will not be granted. Please note our cancellation policy, listed here and on the registration/ticketing page: https://artandolfaction.com/educationatiao/cancellation-policy/
Image credit: Orchid via Unsplash. The Institute for Art and Olfaction
Event venue & nearby stays
The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Road, Los Angeles, United States
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