Olfactory Art and Science Narrative research project: A collaboration between Artists Nathan Cohen (University of the Arts London), Reiko Kubota; and Psychologists Takefumi Kobayashi (Bunkyo Gakuin University), Kohsuke Yamamoto (Osaka Sangyo University); with the contribution of Olfactory, Flavour and Behavioural Science specialist Satomi Kunieda (Ritsumeikan University).

In Retrospect

The Kakenhi funded olfactory research project ('匂いによるなつかしい感情喚起の構造と快適空間の創造 - Creation of Comfortable Environments through the use of Smells that Evoke Nostalgic Feelings), resulted in our making a number of artworks and artefacts designed to explore the relationships between olfaction and memory response. This was intended to be in the context of well-being and how this might benefit the elderly in care home environments, although the emphasis was primarily with developing artefacts that might be adaptable to this purpose, exhibited between 2016 -2019 in Japan, France and Sweden.

During this time as artists we developed our focus increasingly on narrative and memory in association with olfactory, visual and haptic stimuli, including the creation of artworks that reduced in scale from the initial artwork, an interactive time-based installation of intimate objects and olfactory sources, to the several hand held boxed artefacts that contain a variety of materials and objects intended to stimulate recollection of personal memories and associations with particular places. The sequence of boxed artefacts we created explore this theme and include game-playing to encourage memory stimulus and social interaction, pioneering this intimately scaled narrative, interactive, olfactory approach.

Next Steps

The current research project commenced in 2020 and has narrative and its relationship with olfaction as a focus, in keeping with the progression of our work during the first olfactory research project. Whereas previously the emphasis was on developing artworks and artefacts that were exhibited as part of the research, usually within a gallery context, this research affords us the opportunity to engage directly with psychologists toward developing olfactory artefacts that will be used by the elderly in care home, institutional and domestic environments.

From the outset we have been in discussion with Takefumi Kobayashi and Kohsuke Yamamoto as we considered this essential to develop olfactory artefacts with which the elderly could interact and that could be proven to demonstrate a causal link between particular odours, the forms in which they are presented and the narrative associations they stimulate. 

To do this, we realised early on from our discussions that we need to minimise ‘noise’. That is, to avoid multiple possible sources of stimulus that could occur simultaneously, which could interfere with the ability to measure the specific relationships between odour, form and participants’ response. This set us a challenge, as artists, to develop artefacts that could translate the experience of the selected odours, in a way that complemented them and that could make them tangible in forms designed to encourage narrative associations, but which would not be unnecessarily complex.

Our first Memory Box (2017) contained multiple sources of stimuli, from the physical object of the box itself and all its contents, to the visual and olfactory elements that formed its composition. It would be difficult to separate and measure what each of these stimuli individually cause in terms of response by someone encountering it, particularly with regard to the olfactory element. 

Therefore, we knew that, while we wished to retain the intimacy of interaction of what we create it would need to be less complex in terms of the range of stimuli our new artefacts would present. This was the starting point for considering how we should proceed.

Creating New Olfacto-Narrative Forms

Initially, this led to a period of reflection and debate between the two of us as to what the properties of the new artefacts should be and what forms they should take to achieve what is required. As we discussed terms like ‘ethereal’, ‘translucent’ and ‘diaphanous’ began to shape our thinking. Qualities that we feel reflect both the airborne and invisible nature of odours but that could also be translated into materials that embody these characteristics. This then led to considering what materials might reflect the air-like properties we wished to explore. 

We also determined that the new artefacts would be at the most intimate scale we have created so far, sitting in the palm of one hand or being graspable in the fingers. The new forms that these would take also had to be sufficiently porous to allow for a flow of air through them that would distribute a sample of scent that would be located within them. Given the scale we realised that we would need a ‘family’ or group of artefacts whose individual forms would complement each odour and relate to each other visually.

Having arrived at these parameters for designing the new artefacts we needed to experiment with different materials. Initially, we considered using felt that would be padded to create spherical forms, but this we found did not impart the air-like qualities we were seeking. It also posed the problem of how to effectively integrate the odour samples, and raised questions about opacity and translucency.

After experimenting with a range of materials we decided upon a combination of tule, silk organza and fabrics that, when combined, could be used to construct artefacts that are robust enough to be handled, self-supporting while being very lightweight and made up of layers whose transparencies combine to define its form. Air can freely flow through each construction with the odour sample located at their centres but not visible. We also decided to work with white as the principal colour as we feel that this imparts an ethereal quality to the forms, and emphasizes the role of light in their interpretation.

The geometries of each artefact’s form create distinctive shapes and the white materials used in their composition are complemented in some by an internal coloured layer of fabric designed to subtly reflect the properties of the particular odour to be associated with it. Inspiration for their design come, in part, through forms to be found in nature, like deep sea jellyfish and diatomic structures, lacewings, dragon fly wings and the petal structures and textures of some types of flowers. 

However, while inspired by these forms, the artefacts themselves are not designed to mimic them, but to build upon their more abstract qualities including layering, symmetries, light properties and shapes, as we wish to leave open to the imagination how they may be interpreted. This is essential, as while the forms of the artefacts may possess affinities with experience of things seen, so they also need to be constructed in ways that enable others to make their own associations with them and, as we intend, to stimulate memories and personal narratives.

With these design parameters in mind Reiko then composed a series of forms, each playing in complementary ways with the elements we had decided upon, resulting initially in a group of 5 artefacts, each matched with a particular odour. These artefacts can be experienced both with and without odours, although they are intended to be viewed as a symbiotic construction of haptic/visual and olfactory experiences embodied in each form, enabled through direct interaction with them.

The coloured layer included in some of the artefacts imparts subtle but distinctive visual characteristics that complements each structure and locates it within an odour space. The efficacy of this will need to be tested, as will the range of odours selected. Initially, Satomi Kunieda has advised on what these odours might be so that we have a range of odour type to work with. We have sought to pair each odour with one of the artefact designs taking into consideration the odour’s derivation (flower, fruit, herb, etc.) and how it suggests association with the forms we have created. Inevitably, this calls for a subjective albeit experience based judgement, although we have found that the geometries of the different forms and the colours they contain do lend themselves to interpretation from an olfactory perspective. Currently we are finalizing the selection of the odours and their pairing with the particular artefacts.

Copies of the artefacts have now been dispatched to Japan for testing by Takefumi Kobayashi who is working with Kohsuke Yamamoto to develop the testing methodology. The intention is to conduct sessions with volunteers in a day care centre for the elderly in Tokyo using the artefacts both with and without the odour samples to see how they may induce narrative responses. The outcome of this stage of the research will form the basis for the next report.

This research is part of the project, 学際的研究による「懐かしい匂い」とアートを用いた回想法プログラムの構築
Construction of a Reminiscence Program using Nostalgic Smell and Art
Grant number: 20H01223 (Kakenhi Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Japan.) 

Nathan Cohen
April 2021