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Batley Variety Club (Eau De Toilette)
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: May 2022
Artist: Charles O'Brien
Medium: Glassbottle containing perfume (Essential Oils and Alcohol) and Digitally Print Packaging
Object number: MISC.2023.74.CC.1-2
DescriptionPerfume bottle in box.
Description from the artist:
An exploration of absent places in present spaces, this fragrance is inspired by accounts of the scent of the Batley Variety Club, through memories of family and friends, endless stories and personal links to this venue. A site of strong local cultural memory, that gave Batley, West Yorkshire, the reputation of the 'Las Vegas of the North', for a period. While the Variety Club has since been transformed into a gym and remains a cultural memory, it was regarded as a transformative site of social engineering by attracting international entertainers such as Roy Orbison and Shirley Bassey to a small working-class mill town.
The formulation of this fragrance was thoroughly researched, based on the personal accounts of residents of Batley and regulars at the Variety Club, and what they recall being its unmistakable smellscape. Additional research was undertaken to find which beers were sold at the club (and how those beers were brewed), the types of perfume and aftershaves worn by club members, and other notes that remain unmistakable to Batley’s residents.
Initially, this piece was exhibited in a mock-up department-store style cosmetics counter, featuring images of various celebrities who performed at the Batley Variety Club, archival materials for the audience to browse through, while sampling the perfume, and a speaker playing the album ‘Roy Orbison – Live from Batley Variety Club’.
Description from the artist:
An exploration of absent places in present spaces, this fragrance is inspired by accounts of the scent of the Batley Variety Club, through memories of family and friends, endless stories and personal links to this venue. A site of strong local cultural memory, that gave Batley, West Yorkshire, the reputation of the 'Las Vegas of the North', for a period. While the Variety Club has since been transformed into a gym and remains a cultural memory, it was regarded as a transformative site of social engineering by attracting international entertainers such as Roy Orbison and Shirley Bassey to a small working-class mill town.
The formulation of this fragrance was thoroughly researched, based on the personal accounts of residents of Batley and regulars at the Variety Club, and what they recall being its unmistakable smellscape. Additional research was undertaken to find which beers were sold at the club (and how those beers were brewed), the types of perfume and aftershaves worn by club members, and other notes that remain unmistakable to Batley’s residents.
Initially, this piece was exhibited in a mock-up department-store style cosmetics counter, featuring images of various celebrities who performed at the Batley Variety Club, archival materials for the audience to browse through, while sampling the perfume, and a speaker playing the album ‘Roy Orbison – Live from Batley Variety Club’.