Smoke Bench - Scents of Condition

Abstract

Scent of Conditions exists out of three different benches with each a self-applied scent. The first bench is an ordinary wooden bench and when sitting down, you clearly observe the delicious scent of nature. Not immediately the scent of the garden in which the work is presented, but a fantastic warm scent which throws you back in time to when you were younger and went out on exploration in the unpolluted or at least less polluted nature. The scent is blown towards you from the bench itself. You smell a mixture of flowers with grass and an undertone of wood and forest. The scent ends with a clear sensation of wide plains on which thousands of flowers are dancing on the descending wind in the sunlight.

The second bench is the confrontation with air pollution. As a visitor sits down at this bench, - which appears to be made from stone - he/she will unexpectedly be fumed with the scent of air pollution whilst resting on the bench. True smoke will come out of the bench which smells like polluted air, exhaust gases and swaps of industry.

The smoke coming out of the bench, in itself is not harmful since this is realized based on evaporation, but the experience and confrontation with the added scent of air pollution will long be remembered by the spectator. Nevertheless the spectator will love to sit down on the bench to take spectacular pictures to share on social media such as Facebook and Instagram. The work itself will always be stored in memory through the scent. And as if this confrontations wasn't sufficient, the artist also allows the spectator to get acquainted with the final stages of our existence. The scent of death rises up from the third pristine white bench. This unpleasant smell in contrast with the white pretty benches will also despise many spectators, but will also let them think about the effect of our own air pollution, namely our death. The artist confronts here the spectator with the scent of death. Whether or not many people will take place on this bench, that is the question. On the other hand, it might well be that this scent will also bring back memories of deceased family members or friends to some of the spectators and it can also be seen as a tribute or even as a penance.

It speaks to itself that the work Scents of Conditions will not leave any of the spectators piddling. Not even when you do not literally take a seat on the work of art. The scent will overwhelm you, first with wonderful memories of untouched nature, then a confrontation with the current state of air pollution to eventually end where we will all end.

Until now only the stone bench has been realized. The two other benches were intended to be created in situ, nevertheless exhibiting this work was cancelled due of a financial decision by the organization of the exhibition.