The tradition of the white cube emerged out of reverence for the artwork — static blank walls don’t detract from the main event — but how does one fill a space when the artwork is invisible?   

That was the challenge proposed to Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the firm renowned for its work on the High Line, when they took on the exhibition design of the Museum of Arts and Design’s “The Art of Scent 1889-2012.” The show, on view through March 3, surveys the innovations in the history of perfume-making, from “Jicky,” created by Aimé Guerlain in 1889, to Ernest Beaux’s Chanel N° 5 from 1921, up through Daniela Andrier’s “Untitled,” which won the Fragrance Foundation's 2011 Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year.   

The essence of the exhibition was to strip these scents of their packaging and other extraneous factors, so as to focus on the qualities of the smell itself, and so its delivery followed suit. “It was an exercise in self-restraint, to make nothing, but make it beautiful” DS+R principal Elizabeth Diller told Wallpaper magazine. The results were a row of 12 head-shaped alcoves that deliver a burst of fragrance when they detect the presence of a visitor, accompanied by pulsing projections of wall text that point to the technological progressions from scent to scent.   

This new spin on traditional exhibition design reflects a new model by which we interact with art. As DS+R and other designers like them — designers of thought-provoking, disorienting, nature-defying shows — offer more interactive environments that cast off tradition, viewers are less frequently expected to admire works simply hung on the wall. Instead, they’re called on to participate in the exhibition actively, which frequently leads to more immersive and moving experiences — because innovation, occasionally, requires breaking the rules. In our third installment of our Innovators in Design series, we’re taking a look at the people who are reinventing the way we experience art.   

To see the innovators who are redesigning the way we experience art, click the slideshow.