Victoria Hertel is a Singapore-based German-Venezuelan artist whose techno-organic practice explores the entanglement of the self and non self.
Her sensory installations combine technology, trace and motion to construct distilled encounters that heighten our awareness of the complex material network we inhabit. The process of experiencing these organic, digital, mechanical, sensorial and ritualistic systems gripping into each other, invites us to expand our understanding of ourselves and what connects us to everything else.
Hertel received her BFA from the University of Barcelona and her MA in Fine Arts from LASALLE College of the Arts Singapore in partnership with Goldsmiths University of London. She has been awarded the Chan-Davies Art Prize for academic excellence in her MA research and practice of Trace as energy in materialities.
Her work has been exhibited in solo shows, group exhibitions as well as residencies in Germany, Spain, Austria, Poland, China, Taiwan and Singapore.
Hand-blown glass vessels from broken tempered glass, fragrance compounds Dimensions variable
Nocturne (2023) consists of custom hand-blown glass scent vessels that were repurposed from the tempered float glass panels of the F1 Singapore Grand Prix Night Race floodlights. Originally designed as containers of light to illuminate the night, the glass panels were transformed to encapsulate the vibrant scents of the race experience, creating a sensory bridge between the track and off-site setting.
Venturing beyond the conventional olfactory spectrum of floral, citrus, and woodsy botanical notes, the work explores unusual aromatic territories like butyl rubber, smoke and octane to mimic the scent of the race – highlighting the myriad of scent traces subtly shaping our sensory perception of moments.
Though F1 is known for its strong audio-visual experience, Nocturne underscores scent’s crucial role in our processing, interpreting, and engaging with our surroundings. It is a tribute to the ephemeral – the fleeting speed of racing cars and passing scents – highlighting how transient moments influence our lives.
Artisan Perfumer / Craft Fragrance Lab: Terry Jacobson / Oo La Lab
Glassblowing Mentor: B. Jane Cowie