The Use of Smell in Art, an “Olfactology” Art Research

Abstract

Short Abstract:

Smell can give more meaning to an artwork, but can also be a statement or a concept on his own. There are a lot of possibilities to use smell and how it can be applied in visual arts. The difficulties in using smell depends of the conditions of the place, like temperature, humidity, the used materials, but also the social aspect, cultural habits and psychologic reaction based on memory might not be forgotten to suit the context of a work. By means of examples I give an overview of how smell can be used and which problems can occur while exposing.

Abstract:

How can smell be applied in visual arts? Which are the possible problems in the use of smell in exhibition models? Olfactory art: visual use versus pure olfactory application? Where are the possibilities in the use of smells in visual arts? How to create a context around art through a smell. By means of examples of his smell installations, artist Peter De Cupere shows how smell can be used. As a recognized Olfactory Artist with over 200 realized works, Peter De Cupere takes you on a journey through a world in which smell as medium or object is central. Since 1995 he has been experimenting with smells in multiple manners. Through the use of smell, he knows how to give it the correct context. He cannot imagine a work without smell and has therefore found a way to apply smell to all sorts of media such as, sculptures, installations, paintings, drawings, prints, videos , happenings and performances. Besides this, he is extremely fascinated by its possibilities and the future of the use of smell. He is the inventor of the Olfactiano, the first smell piano, but he has also been doing research on a smell alphabet. In his lecture he gives an overview of how he uses smell and which problems can occur while exposing. Peter De Cupere proves with his smell installations that a lot of possibilities remain for the application of smell in visual arts and he respects the idea that smell, read perfume in se can be a piece of art when it serves the correct context. This context can either be an aesthetic experience or be linked to a social setting. His work is mainly about environmental problems such as air pollution, but also about social and cultural aspects such as respecting different races, nationalities, identities and preferences. He does not call himself a nose but is strongly interested in the study of smell and created his Olfactology Lab, a research laboratory for the application of smell through materials and special alterations and where research is done in a creative manner. In 2012 he therefore started with a research thesis in which the problem definition of the smell activation and smell continuity in exposition models will be investigated. In his lecture he will regularly refer to this through case studies.