ARPA is an artistic perfume brand founded by French perfumer Barnabé Fillion, creator of fragrances such as Aesop. As this marked their first exhibition in Japan, they selected Kyoto's Gion district as the venue. Consequently, two key objectives for this project were to incorporate both ARPA's and Kyoto's respective contexts, and to spatially convey ARPA's brand concept of Synesthesia.

 　We began the design by tracing the contexts that constitute ARPA. Particular attention was paid to the fact that ARPA's inaugural exhibition was held at the Letty candle shop, designed by Hans Hollein.
 　One of his innovations in this architecture was how ambiguous reflections between glossy materials caused the space's contours to shift as viewers moved, expanding the confines of this roughly 15-square-metre space. Thus, we decided to incorporate ARPA's context by responding to the interplay of real and illusory images, as seen in the Letti Candle Shop, through contemporary methods.

　  　Next, we explored methods to generate “Synesthesia” through the interplay of real and illusory images. Synesthesia refers to the phenomenon where different senses react to each other – such as perceiving sound through a scent, or conversely, perceiving scent through sound. The composition of perfume scents provided a key insight here.
 　Perfume scents utilise differences in volatility, comprising three stages: the scent upon application (top note), the scent approximately one hour after application (middle note), and the scent after two hours or more (base note). Similarly, by layering materials with differing spatial characteristics across these three stages, the visual interplay between real and illusory forms stimulates memories of similar sensory overlaps in smell and sound, allowing the viewer to perceive scent and sound.
 　The optimal materials for the three types were: fully transparent, medium-reflectivity coloured acrylic; semi-transparent, low-reflectivity fibreglass; and non-transparent, high-reflectivity stainless steel.

 　Finally, drawing inspiration from the furnishings of Kyoto's historic buildings, several material layering approaches were explored. Consequently, the space was structured using four distinct pieces of furniture.
1. Olfactory Cabinet
 　The primary piece for displaying Arpa products. Drawing inspiration from the chōdan (differentiated shelves) of shoin-zukuri architecture, the three materials appear vertically layered when viewed from the front, visualising the sequence of the product's scents.
2. Memory Drawers
 　This fixture displays Arpa's records through various items. Square-sectioned boxes made from three materials interlock, creating a gradient effect when illuminated from below.
3. Dispersive Prism
 　Visualising the process from flat surface to cube evokes a sense of time's passage. The fluidity of the liquid poured into the cube aids the viewer in recognising the transition from static surface to dynamic cube, while also generating prismatic light.
4. Specimen Wall
 　Referencing the diagonal enclosures of the Jōan tea house, panels of three materials are arranged from front to back in order of transparency. This creates spatial depth, making the limited exhibition space appear larger and more abundant.