Visitors engage with a byredo interactive installation, featuring steel spheres and tactile materials.

Leonardo Garza’s Interactive BYREDO Installation Merges Fragrance with Tactile Art and Sound

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Written by John Oliver

2026-10-22

Experiencing Fragrance in a New Dimension

Leonardo Garza’s latest creation, unveiled for BYREDO’s launch in Mexico, reimagines how we perceive scent through the immersive fragrance experience. The installation, titled “Matter / Memory,” transforms five of BYREDO’s fragrances into a multi-sensory experience. This innovative approach transcends traditional visuals, using physical materials, touch, and sound to evoke memories associated with the scents.

Steel spheres hang in the installation's foreground, catching ambient light.
all images ©Noldo

A Dance of Steel and Glass

At the heart of Garza’s “Matter / Memory” are five curved sections. Each features a unique material composition beneath a transparent layer, serving as a canvas for thousands of stainless steel spheres. These spheres create a participatory curtain, inviting visitors to engage by shifting them to unveil the hidden materials below. This interaction not only reveals concealed elements but also generates a soft metallic soundtrack, enhancing the sensory experience further. The Studio work encourages an exploration of what lies beneath the surface, exemplifying the concept of interactive art.

Interactive installations like Garza’s can offer profound artistic experiences. Explore how the iF DESIGN AWARD celebrates outstanding design blending aesthetics with function.

Steel spheres form a curtain, allowing tactile interaction to reveal underlying materials.
steel spheres form an interactive curtain, revealing the materials beneath through touch and movement

Material Interpretations of Iconic Scents

Each segment of the sensory installation interprets a distinct BYREDO fragrance. “Gypsy Water” is represented through charcoal and ash, while “Rose of No Man’s Land” features fragmented glass. “Mojave Ghost” is expressed via mineral dust, “Bal d’Afrique” through vibrant red ochre earth, and “Blanche” with folded white textiles. An enveloping fog adds an atmospheric layer, creating a dynamic environment where light and reflections play with the materials and transform the space continually. This project highlights Garza’s dedication to blending art with design, offering fresh perspectives through objects, furniture, and spatial installations. The experience invites art enthusiasts to explore these dimensions.

Shards of broken glass represent fragility within the art installation.
broken glass represents fragility, one of five memories interpreted through matter
Red ochre earth partially obscured by a flexible curtain of steel spheres.
red ochre earth represents movement, partially concealed beneath a curtain of steel spheres
Curved geometry and illuminated surfaces seen from above in the installation.
an overhead view reveals the installation’s curved geometry and illuminated surfaces
Illuminated surface connects materials, highlighting steel spheres' shifting patterns.
a illuminated surface connects the installation’s materials through a shifting arrangement of steel spheres
Leonardo Garza interacts with his commissioned art installation for BYREDO Mexico.
Leonardo Garza interacting with Matter / Memory, an installation commissioned for BYREDO’s introduction to Mexico
Visitors touch steel spheres to unveil the materials hidden beneath them.
visitors physically shift the suspended steel spheres to reveal the underlying materials
Charcoal and ash symbolize connections between materiality and memory.
charcoal and ash represent remains, exploring the relationship between material and memory
Movement of metal spheres generates a gentle acoustic environment.
movement of the metal spheres creates a subtle acoustic backdrop during interaction
Close-up of mineral dust underneath steel spheres, symbolizing survival.
a close-up of mineral dust beneath the steel spheres, representing survival
Overhead view of Matter / Memory, featuring geometric play of light and materials.
an overhead view of Matter / Memory, revealing the interplay of geometry, material, and light
Visitors engage with a byredo interactive installation, featuring steel spheres and tactile materials.

Source: designboom.com

Frequently asked questions

What is Leonardo Garza’s ‘Matter / Memory’ about?

Leonardo Garza’s ‘Matter / Memory’ is an installation that reimagines how we perceive scent through an immersive fragrance experience. It transforms five of BYREDO’s fragrances into a multi-sensory experience using physical materials, touch, and sound.

How does the installation interact with visitors?

Visitors are invited to engage with the installation by shifting stainless steel spheres that reveal hidden materials below, generating a soft metallic soundtrack in the process.

What materials are used in ‘Matter / Memory’?

The installation uses materials such as charcoal, ash, fragmented glass, mineral dust, red ochre earth, and folded white textiles, each representing a distinct BYREDO fragrance.

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