When Hamptonite and avant garde visionary Robert Wilson hosts his annual
Watermill Summer Benefit on Saturday, July 30th, he will receive a very special
early 70th birthday gift. Loc Dong, Senior Perfumer at International Flavors &
Fragrances has formulated a one-of-a-kind fragrance inspired by Wilson to be
auctioned at the soirée.

KDHamptons.com had a chance to catch up with the
world-renowned IFF perfumer, Loc Dong,  just before the fragrance Black Rider
debuts on Saturday, July 30 at the Watermill Summer Benefit.

KDHamptons:  Loc, what was your inspiration behind Black Rider, the fragrance
created for Robert Wilson’s 70th birthday?
 

Loc Dong:  I first became involved with Mr. Wilson last year, when I was a summer resident at the Watermill Center. Being there allowed me to speak the same language that artists speak. For me, this fragrance is a piece of wearable art. The perfume is
meant to capture something of Mr. Wilson’s being: something very simple, very
elegant, and at the same time complete and powerful.

KDH: Can you tell us about the scent? What are the fragrances key
ingredients? What does it smell like?
 

LD:  I would like to keep the fragrance ingredients a mystery. Perfumery is like a
fantasy. Once you know about it, the fantasy becomes reality, and it becomes
boring. The fragrance contains only seven ingredients, one for each decade in
Bob’s life. The life force of the fragrance is a vibrant woody marine aura that
triggers an immediate emotion.

KDH:  Was the scent conceived for a man or woman?

LD:  It’s for anyone who appreciates Robert Wilson’s art, as well as what he does for
society. Like art, there is no gender.

KDH:  Why did you decide to call the fragrance Black Rider?

DL:  It is named after a Wilson theatrical production by the same name.

KDH:  We love the beautiful, clean bottle! Who designed it?

LD:  Davide Balliano designed the bottle’s exterior. He is a visual artist and past
Watermill Center resident.

KDH:  So how do KDHamptons readers get their hands on Black Rider?

LD:  Seventy bottles of the limited edition scent will debut at Voluptuous Panic: The
18th Annual Watermill Summer Benefit. Guests will have a chance to bid on one of
the bottles during the live auction led by Simon de Pury. This year’s Benefit
will once again bring together the worlds of theater, art, fashion, design, and
society with Benefit artists and Watermill International Summer Program
participants from more than 30 different countries to create six acres of
installations and performances throughout the Watermill grounds. In fact, one
of this year’s participants is my colleague, IFF Perfumer Celine Barel. It will
be a true festival of the arts and performance. Voluptuous Panic will raise
funds to benefit Watermill and its mission to provide a unique environment for
young and emerging artists to explore new ideas and foster their career
development.

*for more information on the event and fragrance please go to http://watermillcenter.org/contact