Laimė Kiškūnė

Unda Prisca

Perfumer | Vilnius, Lithuania

Scent as a historical practice

Laimė has a passion for historical perfumery
She has reconstructed the oldest known historical perfume
Her work connects scent to history and anthropology

From early childhood, Laimė Kiškūnė best perceived the world through her sense of smell. She has devoted her life to scent, through making perfume, aromatherapy and teaching others. "Scents carry a sense of history, and gives us insights into human existence," says Laimė. Her career in perfumery began with the reconstruction of historical perfumes, driven by a desire to understand what ancient peoples wore. Today, her life is split between Lithuania, South India and France as she strives to elevate the role of fragrance in shaping a human worldview. Laimė continues to gather knowledge, study and refine her craft, creating new scents from her atelier in Vilnius, Unda Prisca. “I realised that scents have no borders,” she says. "Smell is the only sense that provides immediate, unfiltered information about the world."

Interview

When did your love of perfume start?: For as long as I can remember, the most important medium for me in this world has been smell. As a child, I was fascinated by the smells of earth, mushrooms, moss, autumn apples, rotting leaves, grease, carburetors, library books and so on. My sense of smell has always been my primary tool for analysis of the world that surrounds me.
What is your educational background?: Chemistry, plant anatomy and physiology, botany and aromatic plants are the first subjects I studied at the Medical Academy. In 2007, I founded Officina artis odorum in Vilnius and began researching the oldest known perfume formulas. I wanted to find out how perfumes came into being in the first place. I subsequently studied at the Institute of Natural Perfumery under Anya McCoy and attended private seminars with creative perfumers from Fragonard and ISIPCA.
How do you work with scent traditions?: My career began with historical perfume reconstructions. In 2012, I released my first replica of the oldest known historical perfume ,Cyprinum. This led me to create Unda Prisca, built on the work of the talented perfumers of the past.
How do you approach the art of perfume making?: My interest has never been limited to the chemical composition of scents. I am interested in the broader concept of scent culture, history, anthropology and philosophy. I view the art of scent mixing as a form of meditation and spiritual practice.

Laimė Kiškūnė is a master artisan: she began her career in 2000 and she started teaching in 2007