Most people head to the airport on their way to an adventure. Shiseido has created an adventure inside an airport. The company's Travel Retail unit rolled out a different beauty experience with the S E N S E art installation at Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore. The art installation is found at the Shiseido Forest Valley’s West Trail, and it was inaugurated by Shiseido’s President and CEO, Masahiko Uotani, at an exclusive launch event that invited guests to ignite their senses. The S E N S E art installation is a collaboration between Shiseido and teamLab, a Tokyo-based interdisciplinary art collective. A dynamic harmony of logic and feeling, the material and spiritual,
S E N S E is the result of diverse minds coming together, uniting scientists, researchers, composers and artists to create an experience of scent to create calm; an experience of sound to create peace; an experience of sight to create serenity; an experience of touch to create harmony. Ultimately, the S E N S E experience allows travellers from around the world to reignite their senses and connect with their inner selves to rediscover meaningful beauty, according to Shiseido.
 
“We know that consumers are now looking for stories and brands that can represent their mission in a manner that resonates with their individual narratives. Innovating for the traveller is one of the core focus areas for Shiseido Travel Retail and the S E N S E art installation at Shiseido Forest Valley reflects that – establishing a deeper connection between our brand and consumers by enabling them to live our story through their own experience. Together with our partners, Jewel Changi Airport and teamLab, we are excited to unveil this immersive experience to take our consumers and travellers from around the world beyond the realms of traditional retail,” said Philippe Lesné, president and CEO of Shiseido Travel Retail.

According to Lesné, true beauty is more than just what you can see. It’s a multi-sensory experience. Inspired by Japanese beauty and culture, the S E N S E art installation creates an experience of scent to create calm; sound to create peace; sight to create serenity; and touch to create harmony, enabling people from around the world to reignite their senses and connect with their inner self to rediscover the true beauty of life.

Why Singapore? Lesne noted that Asia Pacific represents a key region and engine of growth for the global travel retail channel. Singapore is the ideal strategic hub, both from a business perspective but also to connect with consumers and travellers from all over the region and the world. Furthermore, Singapore is known for its global status, proximity to Shiseido's key markets and for its world-class consumer experiences, and Jewel Changi Airport is Singapore’s latest one-of-its-kind tourist destination that will attract travellers from all around. 
 
“As a brand that wants to inspire a life of meaningful beauty and culture, we decided to introduce a different beauty experience with the S E N S E art installation at Shiseido Forest Valley at Jewel Changi Airport. This immersive experience allows people from around the world to reignite their senses and connect with their inner self to rediscover the true beauty of life,” he told Happi. “We sought to create a takeaway experience for our customers, one that goes beyond the realms of traditional retail, and one that they will remember. The S E N S E art installation at Shiseido Forest Valley at Jewel Changi Airport is a manifestation of our global mission – Beauty Innovations for a Better World, as we look to establish a deeper connection between our brand and consumers by enabling them to live our story through their own experience.”
 
He noted that beauty is closely related to people’s lives and feelings, with the ability to bring happiness, energy, confidence and so many more positive emotions.


“As a brand, Shiseido is perfectly captured within the Shiseido Forest Valley experience and we feel that if we’ve been able to help our consumers reignite their senses and rediscover meaningful beauty through the S E N S E art installation, then that is success to us.”
 

Hung Jean, CEO, Jewel Changi Airport Devt. noted that Jewel is a multi-dimensional lifestyle destination and since its opening, the team is heartened by the immense support shown by our visitors.


“The collaboration with Shiseido and teamLab will showcase another facet of the unique Jewel experience that is co-curated with our partnership to delight visitors,” she added.


Lesné explained that at Shiseido, beauty is born of a deep-seated respect that connects the natural elements, nature and humans with one another. For the past 147 years, Shiseido has cultivated its sense of beauty, and this is founded on the brand’s key pillars of Japanese Aesthetics; Technology & Science; and Arts & Design.


“These elements are interdependent, and this duality of art and science has shaped everything we create,” explained Lesné. “Elegant design and product effectiveness hold equal importance to us, and we believe it is only in immersing ourselves in both worlds that we can truly uncover meaningful beauty.”
 

 
The S E N S E art installation collaboration between Shiseido and teamLab, a Tokyo-based interdisciplinary art collective, uses digital technology to ignite the senses and allows visitors to explore the Japanese sense of beauty through the art of sight, touch, scent and sound, as they embark on the West Trail of the Shiseido Forest Valley, one of Singapore’s largest indoor gardens.
 
 
Sight: teamLab’s artwork Resonating Forest illuminates the trees at the S E N S E art installation. Each tree’s light is autonomous, shining brightly and fading as if it is breathing, accentuating the mystique of nature. The installation transforms as visitors delve further into the forest’s depths, honing their sense of sight as the lights dance and flicker.
 
“In line with Shiseido’s philosophy, teamLab seeks to navigate the confluence of art, science, technology design and the natural world. We aim to explore a new relationship between humans and the world through art. The Resonating Forest – Shiseido Forest Valley at Jewel Changi Airport transforms due to the presence of humans, and this in turn, changes and redefines the relationship between people in the same space. By making people part of the work through interactivity, this installation creates an experience that transcends and blurs the boundaries between people and the artwork, and between the self and others,” said teamLab.
 

Sound: During the day, a uniquely composed Shiseido musical piece will reignite visitors’ aural senses along this sensory exploration. Yota Morimoto, composer and sound artist, composed music that recreates the breathing sound of a natural forest. A blend of natural elements, as well as Japanese and Western instruments create the pink and brown noises that evoke the relaxing sound of nature, proven to release stress and tension.
 
As night falls and the resonating forest by teamLab come alive, a specially designed music arrangement based on the modified tones and pitches of the glass harmonica and ocean waves will pacify with a sense of balance and harmony.As visitors interact with the artwork, the countless calming tones at varying pitches spread together with the colored lights.
 
Smell: Olfactory senses will be awakened by the Shiseido Ultimune scent, created Dr Tomonori Ueda, senior fragrance design researcher, Shiseido. The scent contains a combination of soothing aromatic notes, including Rose and Lotus elements that are proven to relieve stress and bestowing a calming effect, based on the company’s long years in aromacology research[1].
 
Touch: To enhance the experience, visitors can interact with their surroundings, by downloading the Jewel Changi Airport app on iTunes or Google Play to access Shiseido’s very own S E N S E app. Learn more about each sensory element that is re-ignited throughout the journey and conclude the experience by sharing a message on the virtual Shiseido Tree[2].