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Palm Springs Scenes

Palm Springs Scenes is an olfactory series shaped through close observation of Palm Springs neighborhoods.

Each work interprets a distinct atmosphere through material detail and environmental character, approaching scent as a way of translating how place settles into memory.

Deepwell by Shannon Milar — Palm Springs Scenes series. Fragrance molecules, 2026. Water. Shade. No plans for the day. Set within Deepwell Estates, the work draws from glistening pool water, expansive lawns, suntan lotion, magazines left in the sun, and telephone lines humming in the heat. A late morning suspended between pure leisure and the possibility of being called away. Cool water, warm grass. The slow drift of the day beside the pool.

Deepwell

Movie Colony by Shannon Milar — Palm Springs Scenes series. Fragrance molecules, 2026. Lamplight. Ice in glasses. A record plays. Set within the Movie Colony neighborhood, the work draws from cocktails mixed slowly through the evening, flowers arranged throughout the house, citrus peel, low music, and familiar voices falling into an easy rhythm. Soft florals, gin, citrus, candle smoke. The glow of a long conversation.

Movie Colony

The Mesa by Shannon Milar — Palm Springs Scenes series. Fragrance molecules, 2026. Stone. Air. Morning light. Set at the base of Mount San Jacinto, the work draws from exposed rock surfaces, dry chaparral, bighorn sheep balancing on the rock piles above the neighborhood, and the faint mineral trace of rain held inside the stone weeks after it falls. Desert sage. Warmed rock on a winter morning.

The Mesa