Shahmaran and Camasb
by Ömer İpekçi
After stumbling on a honey filled cave, Camasb, a poor woodseller, followed its source to discover a secret garden with flowers he had never seen before. This is the realm of the snakes, ruled by the snake queen Shahmaran. Bewitched by the beauty of the garden and the queen, he lived there in peace for a time until - missing his family - he asked to leave. Shahmaran granted him his freedom on condition that he tell no one about their world. However, when the king got sick, and at the vizier’s urging, Camasb told of her location, and she was killed. Her corpse, as an ingredient, has three different qualities. Life, death and wisdom. (Tarsus Province, Turkey)
Artist Statement
I imagined Shahmaran’s garden not as a superficial object of vanity but as something she painstakingly nurtured into existence in an impossible environment. Medicinal and sacred materials (period and location appropriate) for her alchemy and some flowers both for their beauty and for the production of honey. I composed the scent in the same manner. I arranged the garden first, then the environment around it and finally a touch of beauty. The scene is viewed from the perspective of Camasb gazing at something marvellously alien with a mysterious intention behind it. An olfactory theme song before the entrance of Shahmaran. Notes: Calamus, Perganum Harmala, Galbanum, Myrrh, Peppermint, Mushroom, Honey, Sulfurol, Davana, Rhizanthella Shahmaranis Accord, Stinging Nettle Accord, Cannabis Accord, Rose Isparta