As part of the 2020 DesignTO Festival, Aesop will unveil ‘Epistēmē’ — an evocative, sensory installation featuring seven short films created in collaboration with Dutch artist Bart Hess. Titled with the Ancient Greek word for knowledge and understanding, the installation was born of the belief that we absorb knowledge through the senses, with the skin acting as an interface between the body and the world around us.

Inspired by this understanding, Aesop reimagined the store as a theatre of the senses, portraying the moment Aesop formulations touch skin’s surface through aroma, sound, tactile materiality, sculptural intervention, and moving images.

Spread across two stations in store, the installation melds scenography, sound design by Ricky van Broekhoven, and Hess’s film work.

‘To illustrate the skin in states of transformation, I first consider the permeable and tactile nature of its boundary and the responsiveness of its surface,’ said Bart Hess. ‘The digital manipulation in each film melds body and sensation, skin and material, reality and virtuality to express the effects of each product.’

To complete the experience, visitors are invited to continue exploring the company’s formulations in person. Guided by trained consultants, visitors can experience texture, scent, and skin feel firsthand—from the suppleness of skin freshly hydrated with incredibly light-textured Lucent Facial Concentrate, to the cooling embrace of moisture-rich Blue Chamomile Facial Hydrating Masque.