Olfactory Art

16.5.13

3 principle smells: the order for smelling

Placing 3 different smells in the space.

It sounds so simple, but in reality it's always complicated. Experimentation over experimentation, to identify the factors and where to focus.

Question: Three different smells A, B, and C, and the total smell Z. Which order should you smell?

Choose from:

(1) Z > A > B > C

(2) A > B > C > Z

You really have to place them in the space in order to say something, because the shape and the airflow of the space play role as important factors. But at least I can test it on the table. With my previous work "OLFACTOSCAPE - deconstructing Chanel No. 5 -"

Chanel No. 5 composition
Bergamot
Rose
Vetiver
Vanillin
Musk
Aldehyde
Ylang-ylang

Then the opposite order:

Ylang-ylang
Aldehyde
Musk
Vanilin
Vetiver
Rose　
Bergamot
Chanel No. 5 composition

The latter was more difficult to smell the wholeness of Chanel No. 5. Smelled a lot of Aldehyde, like an outdated perfume.

Why ? In the first one, I have probablly learned the nose the whole spctrum of smells and this made it easier to identify the each smell too. In the latter one, the nose got blocked and masked while smelling the each one. Heavier smells like musk and aldehyde could do that.

Thus, the right answer is:

(1) Z > A> B > C

gallery for meditation - Kuh Ren Boh

Here is an introduction to the works by the architect Makoto Yokomizo, whom I collaborate with on an pavillion opening soon.

Kuh-ren-boh http://www.kurenboh.com/

It's a gallery for meditation. Its owner is the buddhist temple in Asakusa Tokyo.

Here you enter.

You go through "nijiriguchi", the entrance inspired by tea ceremony architecture, and then you take off shoes. All the process is there for you to prepare your mind.

Now you are in the subtle space of light and darkness.

Here you don't have the sense of distance. The sense of up and down, left and right. You are aware of your heartbeat of yourself, and the sound you make by walking. You explore the space with a tiny bit of light and the sense of touch.

Normally we use the sense of sight the most. In this space, the other way round.

Then you exit to the real world.

It's a gallery space for meditation and teaching. The space itself teaches you the way how the senses are.

We're adding the perspective of smell in our new collaboration we're making now.

9.4.13

3 principle smells: experiments

I have experimented a bit for a new installation opening in July in Tokyo. Here are memo's:

It's a collaboration project with an architect Makoto Yokomizo . In a semi-darkness you would explore the space with the sense of smell, hearing, and touch.

Question are: how do we perceive the mixture of smells? How do they mingle in the space? What could be the "3 principle smells"? And how to draw gradations? How could I give the visitors motivation to explore by smell?

Smell mixes in the space, that's the feit. But I think it's possible to draw subtle gradations, from the experience of OLFACTOSCAPE.

The system of air flow is custom made. With anerometer I can detect some air flow.

1st experiment:

23/03 at home, 3.5-tatami space

3 principle smells:

(1) Citrus (Aromatheque)

(2) Geranium (Aromatheque)

(3) Ceder (Aromatheque)

2nd experiment:

25/03 at Tokyo Art University in Ueno, Tokyo, 6.5m x 4.5m, h3.5m, one side completely open to corridor

1st round from 14:05
3 principle smells:

(1)Petit grain (aromatheque)

(2)Arabisce Wierook (primavera) 乳香

(3)Jasmine (aromatheque)

2nd round from 15:45-

3 principle smells:

(1)Jenever (aromatheque)

(2)Ylangylang (primavera)

(3)Cedar (Aromatheque )

・Jeneverbes

・Ylang ylang

・Cedar

3rd experiment:

26/03 demo at the office of Okamura Furniture. 8m x 8m, h2.5m.

3 principle smells:

(1)Jenever (aromatheque)

(2)Geranium (aromatheque)

(3)Arabisce Wierook (primavera)

More info comes soon!

25.1.13

The world's most advanced restaurant: Tippling Club

A couple of days ago I gave a distillation workshop at a renown restaurant in Singapore: Tippling Club.
http://www.junkstage.com/maki/?p=445

Few days later I visited them for a dinner. They've just finished extracting fennel seed after two days permanent process. I'm impressed that they took it as their tool and using it already.

Mixing the fennel extract with oil.

It's a modern, cool place, at the same time very cosy and casual. The man in the center is Ryan, the top chef.

The course starts. Soup that you suck from the tube, while you taste the garnish on top.

Chef's interpretation of Singapore. Creamy curry with puff rice on top.

Oh no they've burned it... :-) No, it's intentionaly black, made with bamboo charcoal! Very tasty shishito pepper tempura.

Eggless Chawan-mushi. No way! It tastes like real chawan-mushi... A bit of milk in enzyme makes it tastes like egg it seems. I got confused.

An amuse with ham and "olive oil caviar". Mediterranean flavour in mouth.

Which part is edible?

The egg found in the grass was not tasting like real egg but its texture was quite egg-ish.

A test tube cocktail.

Black and white dish. Hamachi with black sesame, garnished with black-skin daikon. It goes with coriander cocktail. Very good hamachi!

Tako (octopus) cooked under pressure. The texture is like a chicken. Together with dry, aged white wine.

Dish with beets: cooked under pressure, grilled in oven for hours, etc.

Candied beet. Crispy and sweet!

Wagyu beef, A class, from Kagoshima. Together with scampi, spring onion from Kagoshima, and organic cucumber. Very well prepared wagyu!

Dessert starts. Meteorite chocolate. Yummy!

"Cheese Cake Remedy"

Iceream that seems not like icecream...I mean, not frozen. With freeze dry rhubarbar. Chef's interpretation of his grandma's dessert :-) It goes with a cocktail flavourd with Dutch "dropjes" ... Very creative. Make it in Holland, and people will be surprised.