Bowmakers

If you can imagine a workshop, lit by oil lamps and a brace of flickering candles, wax dripping to the floor. Everywhere is wood, maple, mahogany, chips of darkest ebony, floor littered in fragrant curled shavings, the air filled with lacquered dust and the aromatics of a thousand sweet pencils. A man bends over an oak bench, tending to the curved form of a violin, the body warm and golden in the soft light, its neck, pegs and tailpiece scattered under his nimble fingers. Puffs of pine resin drift as he works, smoothing, gluing and attending to the preparation of varnishes and oils to give ornate lustre to grain and line. This is D.S & Durga's Bowmakers, an astonishing time capsule evocation of violin and bow making workshops in 18th century American pioneer towns. Each workshop concocted their own secret recipe for the decorative shellacs and lacquers. These might contain elemi, benzoin, saffron, mastic, sandalwood and turpentine for color, preservation, finish, tone and beauty. D.S.& Durga have brought this polished, resinous portrait of craftsmen to life in an affecting and vibrantly glowing scent.