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Impermanence Ephemeral Notes

Arya Shelke

I am a final year Product and Industrial Design student at Central Saint Martins with a passion for designing systems, objects and interactions that challenge convenience-driven norms. My work often explores the intersection of tactile engagement, sustainability and conscious consumption. I'm drawn to projects that provoke thought, shift habits, and offer meaningful alternatives to passive design.

I am a final year Product and Industrial Design student at Central Saint Martins with a passion f...

This solid perfume line blends art, nature, and functionality. Each fragrance is housed in a sacrificial cork container with a copper lid that doubles as a candle, enhancing daily rituals. The cork casing of this solid perfume is designed to naturally disintegrate over time, reinforcing the idea that impermanence is not a flaw but a feature. This gradual breakdown isn’t just about sustainability; it’s about creating an emotional connection between the user and the object. By trying to encourage a deeper appreciation for materials that shift, age, and change, this sacrificial cork acts as a deliberate offering to time, embracing its natural deterioration to highlight the fleeting beauty of materiality.

By combining natural materials and thoughtful aesthetics, this line celebrates creativity, functionality, and the beauty of earth’s elements in an accessible, everyday form transforming fragrance application into a meaningful ritual. Inspired by iconic artworks, the scents reflect earth’s elements through natural, layered ingredients.

The 3 fragrances which are unisex solid perfumes - "The White Cloud" evokes open air and stillness. This fragrance is subtle yet expansive and carries the clarity of wind through trees. The other two are "Eleven AM" and "The Kiss" which are afternoon and evening scents.

Each design unites sustainability, artistry, and practicality, creating a multi-sensory experience that transforms fragrance application into a meaningful ritual.

Final work

Close up picture of the three fragrance casings

Metal casings for the ritualistic solid perfume

Each fragrance is housed in a custom stainless steel casing. The production process involved lathing, drilling, and milling solid cylindrical steel to create a clean, hollow form. 

The outer surface was then torched by hand, allowing the heat to bring out rich tonal variations inspired by the paintings each fragrance is named after. The level and pattern of torching were intentionally varied to reflect the visual intensity and atmosphere of each scent concept, with particular attention to how the “cloud” or mood should be perceived.

Eleven AM - a fragrance that captures the glow of still late mornings

Eleven AM

The Kiss- an evening fragrance which is a dark, deep and musky scent.

This evening fragrance which is dark, deep and musky carries a rich, resinous depth. Creating a sensual blend that lingers with quiet intensity is both grounding and evocative. It unfolds slowly and leaves a lasting impression.

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Impermanence Ephemeral Notes

This solid perfume line blends art, nature, and functionality. Each fragrance is housed in a sacrificial cork container with a copper lid that doubles as a candle, enhancing daily rituals. The cork casing of this solid perfume is designed to naturally disintegrate over time, r...

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