Múses is an “Academy” because it express the European concept of the territory, which offers experiences suitable for all. Starting from the rediscovery of the aromatic herbs of Piedmont Múses proposes an international journey through the knowledge of perfumery, flavours and essences.
Ryts Monet ‘s “In God We Trust”
Here you will see works of art realised by international artists and multi-sensorial installations, but also multifunctional labs which make Múses the only museum pole at international level, the only centre able to offer a similar cultural offer. It is innovative for its transversal skills and the hybridisation among disciplines that generally are at the antipodes, thanks to the valorisation of aromas and essences. The tradition and the life of the territory have made Múses a living museum.
The set up interacts with history, art and technology, which are the key to awaken the olfactory memory of visitors.
Along the exhibition path you can watch video installations, vintage instruments, characters who have innovated production techniques, revealing the secrets of perfumery over the centuries: from Byzantium to Venice following the routes of essential oils and spices; from Piedmont to the rest of Europe with the fascinating saga of the Cologne water.
At the first floor is located the “Reminescences of emotions” by Maja Smrekar, an installations made up of five white bells connected through pedestals, immersed in a smoky atmosphere and illuminated by play of lights. The bells, which reminds seventeenth-century candlesticks, are perforated on the surface to create stylised motifs that draw some typical essences of the Piedmontese territory. The stylised motifs are projected onto the walls in the colour that is associated with each essence. The installation invites the visitor to interact: once up on the pedestal and after inserting the upper part of the body completely inside the candlestick, all you have to do is press a pump to be immersed in an intense olfactory experience that you combines with art and poetry.
At ground floor of Palazzo Taffini you will find the Garden of Senses is a secret and cosy area surrounded by walls. It has a good sun exposition and its cloister structure creates a perfect environment for many aromatic, officinal and garden plants. In this area there architecture and garden live in harmony and here you can see different flowers and fragrances and colours according to the season. In the middle of the garden there are 3 suggestive installations by Franz Staehler, a German artist who works with different materials: wood, pottery, bricks, steel and marble.
“La Palette del Pittore” di Franz Staehler
At the ground floor you is located also the multifunctional hall with 18 multimedia workstations which are among the most innovative in Italy in terms of technical quality and sensory analyses. It is a very important place for educational workshops and labs suitable for the public, but also for specialists. Attending a workshop at Múses you can learn to recognise essences and to create also a personalised perfume, an ointment or natural cosmetic and much more.
Múses was born thanks to European projects of the Association Le Terre dei Savoia and its territorial brand Bottega Reale, whose aim is to enhance the supply chain of Piedmontese identity products through cognitive awareness actions on their qualities and processing techniques and technologies. It also pays tribute to the university tradition of the place, represented by the close synergy with the degree course in Savigliano in Herbal Techniques, with the University of Turin, Department of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, and DISAFA – Department of Agricultural, Forestry Sciences and Food.