The irregularly updated Bur@rt Diary. These diary-style pieces are casual write-ups where the site’s editor jots down daily thoughts and passing observations.
Even so, in terms of page views this diary has apparently become one of the most popular features on the site.
That said, these are unguarded, easy-going posts — please read them when you have a spare moment.
Rehanging the Artworks
I bring change to the art displayed in my own room by swapping the hanging pieces.
I most often use the seasonal transitions as the trigger, and each time I set a theme, then shuttle back and forth between my storage unit (warehouse) and home, moving works in and out.
For this rehang I drastically reduced the number of pieces and created a wall arrangement with plenty of breathing room.
The atmosphere changed considerably, and the result feels really good.
By making space, the relationships between neighboring works have more room to breathe, and the impression they give has changed a great deal.
Rather than packing pieces tightly together so they clash, hanging them in a way that protects the strength of each work has completely transformed the view.
Staging change through rehanging is, you might say, one of the pleasures of building an art collection.
Enjoying Art with All Five Senses — On the Power of Fragrance
Timing it with the rehang, I had an occasion to invite acquaintances over.
Rehanging the works led naturally to a thorough cleaning of the apartment, which in turn set the mood of “well, I could actually have people over.”
We were talking away about art over food and drinks when, at one point, one of my acquaintances quietly gave a single spritz of perfume into the room. The scent spread instantly, and in a flash the space felt entirely different from what it had been.
I had never much cared for perfume — if anything, I put it in the category of things I disliked — but I ended up praising the fragrance my acquaintance was wearing rather generously, and that is how things came about.
Even a single spritz produced a bright, sweeping change in the atmosphere, and I was genuinely surprised.
The fragrance turned out to be from the celebrated perfume house “Jo Malone London,” and the scent was “English Pear & Freesia Cologne” — reportedly their most popular fragrance.
It is sweet, uncloying, and refreshingly clean.
When the scent of the room changes, it is uncanny how the works on display seem to come alive.
The air of the room is transformed, and how the works appear shifts along with it.
I liked it so much that I went to the store later to buy a bottle myself. *The staff kindly walked me through everything, and I became a fan.
Fragrance is only one option — putting on music, or sipping a drink while you look, each of us has our own way of spending time with art.
By stimulating the five senses, a fresh gaze can arise even toward pieces you own and have long grown used to.
Exhibitions at museums and galleries ask us to accept the presentation as it is given, but with rehanging or with fragrance we can enjoy our own collection in whatever viewing style we like — and that is one of the great pleasures of being an art collector.
If you have a favorite fragrance, do try giving your room a single spritz.
