POINTTWOFIVE·SECOND 0.25s Seoul Exhibition

Entrance of the POINTTWOFIVE·SECOND space

Looking at the date the photographs were taken, it’s been almost eight months sice I’ve seen the EMBRACE: WANDER BETWEEN PAST AND FUTURE exhibition by the South Korean fragrance brand POINTTWOFIVE·SECOND. Lots of things happened in January this year – like my first module of the SDA Bocconi Executive Master in Luxury Management, so this ended up going straight into the archive.

The reception desk where everyone was provided with information about the exhibition

There was a waiting room in the space and the exhibition let people in in batches

A video was projected on the wall

However, it’s been on my mind ever since and so as I was taking a look through the little library of experiences I’ve collected this year, I decided that it still deserved to be revisited. Below is a breakdown of the most impressive elements I noticed the brand do:

• LEVERAGE THE DEEP RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR SENSE OF SMELL AND MEMORY – 0.25s is a fragrance brand – introduced as a ‘total scent brand’ – and the founder & team clearly know what a powerful tool they have at their disposal. Neuroscience tells us that smells have a stronger link to memory and emotion than any other of our senses. The exhibition accompanies the launch of two new scents - ‘Stargaze’ and ‘Blinding Lights’, and it was divided into two separate sections – PAST and FUTURE. Each scent was diffused in the dedicated section as part of the experience. 

PAST was a dark labirynth-like space

• EXTEND THE STORYTELLING FOR A MULTILAYERED EXPERIENCE – We made our way throug the ‘PAST’ but there was more – ‘FUTURE’ was engaging in a completely different way. There was a short space between the two with shattered glass, signaling the end of a stage, and then we entered into a white space where everything seemed to center around human presence and movement.

What I especially liked was that at some point I wasn’t able to tell whether I was seeing the shadow of a human form printed on the semi-transparent walls or whether those were actual visitors leaning against the wall from the other side.

• CREATE A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE – The space was filled with quotes from authors such as Wolfgang Borchert, Gertrude Stein, Antoine de Saint Exupery, Albert Camus or Virginia Woolf, written on signs, specially created books standing on illuminated stands, with 3D letters protruding from walls. The visitors were also given cards with text that guided them through the experience. 
  

  Here, there are many crossroads.

  
  As you walk these paths,

  you will encounter numerous choices.

  and moments of regret,

  repeating instances of hesitation.

  At times,

  it may feel difficult to take a step forward

  much like navigating through an uncertain fog.

  From now on,

  I want to walk that path with you again.

  Do you regret taking that path?

  Do you find that path unsettling?

• ENGAGE ALL SENSES – we covered the olfactory stimuli, but there was also the colossal architecture, play of darkness and light, each room played music that complimented the experience. and the first space also had a section in a wall where one could listen in to a recording of a person speaking

The visuals were absolutely stunning

An obscured speaker in the wall

The black iron ceiling amplified the atmosphere

• END THE EXPERIENCE ON A HIGH NOTE – that’s something I’ve recently learned during my EMILUX module at UCLA from the ‘Managing Customer Experience’ lecture taught by Professor Uday S. Karmarkar. Taking into consideration memory decay and the phenomenon of acclimation, it’s best to ‘finish “big” but short and sweet, leave them wanting more.’ This is the perfect example, the exhibition didn’t end after FUTURE – there was a final room, EMBRACE. When I watched the video I took that day, the music instantly transported me back in time and I felt tears well up in my eyes – talk about forming an authentic connection with a brand!

Credit: Justyna Pirttinen

The space felt so beautifully cathartic with an enormous white cloth floating in the middle of the room, that I spent several moments just looking at it. 

• … AND ADD IN A LITTLE LIFESTYLE MOMENT – After ‘EMBRACE’ the audience exited the space and was able to go into the showroom with the two new scents as well as the existing ones. I found them to be as unique as the space itself, and quite diverse too.

There was also complimentary tea catering and the stand brought to mind the fragrance bottles – extremely luxurious and delicious tea, two flavors for the two launched scents. Everything felt unrushed and the commercial aspects were quietly introduced into the space. I spent some time inside with my friend and we both enjoyed it tremendously.

Credit: Justyna Pirttinen

They also served tiny pearl-shaped tiny sacks | Credit: Justyna Pirttinen

Well – as you see, the experience was very impactful since I am able to remember everything with few prompts. What I truly enjoy about this niche brand is that it doesn’t try to appeal to everyone – the founder has a clear vision and either you enjoy his philosophical, futuristic, and sligthly dystopian approach or you don’t. I just noticed on the brand’s Instagram account that a new showroom was opened in the Hannam area in Seoul – so you can expect to hear more about it!