“You need chaos to get to the depths of creativity but you need stillness to create. A perfect example for me, would be Cairo. Cairo is chaos incarnate! Upon arriving to this city, I always get a rush of energy, much like New York City. One memorable moment for me, was traveling to Fayoum last year, a small city two hours outside of Cairo. It’s practically an oasis lined with palm trees. There’s a small village called Tunis, where a potter named Evelyne settled over 40 years ago. Here, she taught the locals how to create their own pottery and live off their art. Upon my arrival to this village, I instantly felt at home. The stillness of the desert, the calmness of its people and the beauty that surrounded them inspired me deeply. Everyday they live and breathe their art. It was a reminder to stay humble and focus on what makes me happy. The scents that I came across – African violets, the scent of raw clay and Egyptian mimosas, were too beautiful to forget.”
About Dana El Masri
Dana El Masri is a perfumer and interdisciplinary artist. Dana has always led a multicultural life; born to a Lebanese father and an Egyptian mother, in Budapest. She was raised in Dubai, has lived in France and New York and calls Montreal home. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Concordia University, and classically trained in the art of Perfumery at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery. She is the creator and founder of Parfums Jazmin Saraï- a collection of perfumes inspired by songs and synaesthesia.
Dana’s work revolves around the connections between scent, music & culture. Whether in the form of custom-made perfumes and olfactory installations, Dana has worked with fellow perfumers, musicians, lifestyle brands, hotels, and art spaces. Her focus is also on the importance of the role of scent in social interaction, on public education about the world of scent, and to bring perfumery as a form of artistic expression to the forefront. Her clients include Creatures of Comfort, Chef Thomas Keller, Nike, Pamela Love and more.
Dana completed a residency at the Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles, 2014. She is the winner of both the Literary Award for ‘Reflection Eternal’ in Odou Magazine in London, 2015 & Perfumed Plume for ‘Flower Power’ in Reorient Mag & Cafleurebon in 2016. Dana has also been a judge in the Artisan category for the Art and Olfaction Awards for two years in a row (2017 & 2018).
Stay up to date with the latest from Dana at jazminsarai.com or via Instagram at @jsparfums.