嗅覚のための迷路 VER. 5
- 見えない足跡 -
空間インスタレーション (2019)
嗅覚のための迷路ver. 5が、Art and Olfaction Sadakichi Award for Experimental Work with Scent(香りの実験的作品)のファイナリストに選ばれました。
Art and Olfaction Awardsは、世界のインディペンデント・パフューマリーやアーティザン・パフューマリー、香りの実験的作品の優秀性を称えるものです。
DATE: 2019年10月12日〜12月08日
[体験の方法]
自分が犬になったと想像してください。 この作品は、2つの方法で体験することができます:
A:香りの足跡を残す-香りの良いスリッパを選び、スタンプ台を踏んで香りのインクを吸収させ(透明です)、床の上を歩きます。
B:なぞる:犬のように匂いを嗅いで、気に入った香りをなぞる。
このインスタレーションは、香りに支配された空間的なコミュニケーション形態である私たちの能力を、他の生き物の能力との関連で問いかけるものです。
[技術]
床は、すぐに水を吸収する粘土でできています。 歩くと、目に見える足音が残りますが、それはすぐに消え、すでに2〜3秒で消えます。 しかし、香りは1時間から3時間持続します。 30種類以上の天然・合成成分からランダムに選ばれたトップノートのみを使用しています。
- グリーンのスリッパ シス3ヘキセノール
- ライトブルースリッパ ユーカリ油
- ブルースリッパーズ ローズマリー油
- 赤いスリッパ ラバンジンオイル
- オレンジのスリッパ オレンジオイル(無色)
- イエロースリッパ リモネン
- ブラウンのスリッパ パインニードルオイル
スタンプ台は自分でデザインし、溶剤も粘土の挙動に慣れた自分で構成しています。
[ストーリー]
Olfactory Labyrinthは、嗅覚によってナビゲートされる空間を研究するための一連のスペースインスタレーションである。
毎日犬を散歩させていると、犬は私たちとは全く異なる嗅覚の層で生きていることに気づかされる。 足音やおしっこ、うんちを残すことでパワーゲームをしたり、引き寄せ合ったり、縄張りを守るためや繁殖のために匂いでコミュニケーションをとっているのです。 匂いの中には、性別や年齢、大きさなどを特定する情報が豊富に含まれています。
それに比べ、私たち人間は嗅覚でほとんどコミュニケーションをとることができません。 このインスタレーションは、香りを媒介としたコミュニケーションについて私たちに問いかけます。
How to Become a "Perfect Japanese Woman"
This work is based on the manual I wrote in 2002 for my friend Homeira, who was a refugee from Afghanistan. We were in the same Dutch language school meant for immigrants and refugees. She was an activist and asked me to write an article for a feminism magazine she was editing. This is the text I wrote for her.
-MANUAL- HOW TO BECOME A "PERFECT" JAPANESE WOMAN
[1. GENERAL MANNER]
1.1. Smile all the time.
1.2. Smile cute.
1.3. Don't show your emotions too much.
1.4. Don't be opinionated too much. Behave as an innocent being. Follow men always faithfully.
1.5. Don't show your cleverness too much, but it is important to be clever not to make any mistake on following things which are written here.
1.6. Care and stay attentive to people around you all the time.
1.7. Be nice and generous to the people around you all the time.
1.8. Create the nice and soft atmosphere while talking, discussing, speaking.
1.9. Speak Japanese Language in woman's style. (There is quite a big difference between man's Japanese and woman's Japanese.)
1.10. Don't talk loud. Speak softly.
1.11. Don't smoke.
1.12. Don't wind.
1.13. Don't belch.
1.14. Don't pick your nose.
1.15. Don't yawn without putting your hand over your mouth.
1.16. Don't laugh too loud, but laugh softly. If you want to laugh loud, then put your hand over your mouth.
1.17. Don't appeal your sexuality too much but stay sexy: Don't wear too tight trousers, because men could see through the line of your panty. Don't wear the white shirts with dark-colourd brassiere, because men could see through your bra, which is considered too sexy.
1.18. Don't make-up in the public space. Go to a toilet when you do it.
1.19. Show your weakness. Don't try to carry a heavy suitcase by yourself,
try to ask men to help you. That will make your impression cute.
1.20. Sit in woman's style. Bend your knees, and don't open your legs.
1.21. When you stairs up, be careful not to let anybody see your panty.
1.22. Don't walk bandy-legged.
[2. BODY CARE AND FASHION]
2.1. Shave your legs.
2.2. Shave under your arms.
2.3. Shave your chin.
2.4. Keep your skin as smooth as possible.
2.5. Keep your skin as white as possible. Don't let it sun tanned.
2.6. Wash your face every morning and evening. After washing the face, put the cosmetic water (called "keshousui") and then milky cream (called "nyuueki"), and on the top, put UV-cut foundation. Pack your face once in a while.
2.7. A liver spot on your skin is evil.
2.8. Put make-up on always.
2.9. Make up your hairs too.
2.10. Keep your sole soft and clean.
2.11. Wear skirts.
2.12. Use the feminine color like pink efficiently in your fashion.
[3. SANITARY CARE]
3.1. Carry tissues or a handkerchief all the time with you. Be ready to use it when it is needed.
3.2. Take a bath everyday and keep yourself clean.
3.3. The impression of 'clean' is important.
3.4. Don't let any man suspect when you have a period. Off course don't even tell him that you have a period.
[4. TOILET]
4.1. Don't let anybody suspect that you are going to the toilet. It will damage men's fantasy for women: "oh my god... how could such a lovely beautiful lady pee and poop...!" , for example.
4.2. If you have to excuse yourself, say "Excuse me, but I go to pick up some flowers."
4.3. Don't let anybody hear the sound when you pee/poop. Flush before you start things so that the water sound erases the sound you make. A lot often each room has a speaker which makes an fake water sound, so use this one to be ecological friendly.
[5. AT THE OFFICE]
5.1. Make a tea or a coffee for men always. You offer before being asked.
5.2. Don't say your opinion.
5.3. Don't show your ability of work too much; always respect a man;Remember that you are a woman and stay smile, patient, passive, then you will never get fired from companies.
[6. SHOPPING]
6.1. If you've bought some toilet papers, then you should put them in a bag, not to make it too obvious that you carry toilet papers with you. Be aware that holding toilet papers is not for perfect Japanese woman.
6.2. If you buy some napkins or tampons at the convenience store like Seven Eleven, and if a man is working at the checking counter, be aware that he would be shamed to touch them. Better to avoid it, and look for another convenient store. But if it is urgent, get something else as well, for example,
drinks. He would be educated to wrap napkins/tampons separately in a non-transparent paper bag.
[7. AT HOME]
7.1. Cook always. Women have to cook. Don't even ask men to cook. Follow the cooking book not to make any mistakes.
7.2. Do the houseworks proper. Be ready before your husband comes back home.
7.3. When your husband comes back home, ask first "Would you like to eat now or take a bath first?"
7.4. Perform an ideal housewife for your husband. Marriage for men is often all about this fantasy.
[8. DATE/DINNER/PARTY]
8.1. Stay passive like a beautiful doll.
8.2. Don't finish the whole dish. Always leave some food on the plate. That will make an impression as a modest girl.
8.3. Be careful about alcohol. Wait for men to suggest you to drink. You may accompany them with drinking, but not too much. Stay sober. Any mistake should not happen.
8.4. Fill men's glass always. It is especially important if you are at the company dinner. Don't ever make their glasses empty. Pour before they finish the glasses. When you pour beer from a bottle, right hand should be on the label of the bottle, and the left hand should hold the top part of the bottle.
8.5. Care and maintain your make-up all the time.
[9. SEX]
9.1. Don't seduce men. Women are to be seduced. Don't say no when men ask for it.
9.2. Stay passive. Men insert. Don't request too much. Behave like you are feeling good.
9.3. Behave yourself like you are unexperienced and ashamed as if you are virgin. Men have a big fantasy for virgins.
9.4. Make a sexy voice.
(ver.2 June 19, 2002 Maki Ueda)
THE EARTH PERFUME
Learning how to make the earth perfume - Indian Attar - (2014)
Overview
The final goal of this project is to make “The Earth Perfume” of the Dutch harbour city Rotterdam by means of distillation. The result did not smell good. But I accept that. Rotterdam is an industrial city located downstream of the River Rhine, where contaminated water and air flows in. Scents do not lie. The truth is represented in the work.
Each earth represents its local scent. No one smells the same. Microorganisms and vegetation of the area and the degrees of contamination appears in the scent of the earth.
The scent of so-called the first drop of rain – that’s what I am aiming to capture and make perfume out of it.
Background
This project started with an email that arrived from India one day.
"Hello. I’m Aastha from India. I was interested in your works. My grandfather was a perfumer. In India, a traditional way of distilling and making perfume is still being practiced, but disappearing. Do you want to learn it together?"
In India, from ancient times about 5000 years ago, long time before alcohol-based perfumery was developed in France, oil-based distillation and perfumery has been practiced. The perfume oil is called Attar. There are roughly 30 types of Attar nowadays, mostly made from common plants and flowers like rose and jasmine. To my eyes "The Earth Attar" seemed to be interesting. I also made an attempt to extract the scent of the earth in Western distillation method many times, and had failed. So "to learn the distillation method for extracting and making the perfume of the scent of the earth”, I applied a grant to the Rotterdam City Art Center.
Encounter to the perfume house in Kannauj
In April 2014 I visited Kannauj, a small town along the Ganges River which is located about 200km southwest from Delhi. It’s a town known as the city of perfume and Attar making. In the middle of election campaign, it was a journey with tensions where tempted civil soldiers were walking around with guns.
Aastha had visited Kannauj prior to my visit with her grandfather’s old diary hoping that she would find some grandfather’s footage in the town. The Perfume House that her grandfather’s friend was running was alive, and the grandson was the current owner. "My grandfather was your grandfather’s friend!" The owner, Mani accepted her, and helped out our project.
Mani gave me all that he could show me over a period of 3 days, not only information but also materials. It was quite unusual in the world of Indian conservative perfumery.
How they make Attar
Incredible scene was waiting behind a small gate in the backstreets of Kannauj. In the courtyard, there was a pile of rose petals. Like Cleopatra's bedroom. Later I got to know that it was arranged especially for our arrivals by Mani.
His staff pack the petals in jute bags for weighing 10kg. They carry them to the backyard, and throw them in distilling pot that had been pre-filled with water. They close the lid, and put it on fire. Solid block fuels made from cow dung are used here. To take care of cows is also part of their work.
The cooling pot is always exposed to running water. In the pot “base-oil” sandalwood oil is waiting for the drops of cooled water. It contains the rose aroma. It goes through the membrane of sandalwood oil and the rose aroma is adsorbed in sandalwood oil.
If you leave it running, the cooling pot gets full. Then, cooled water is collected through the hole on the bottom of the cooling pot (thus the layer of sandalwood oil is left intact) and recycled back into the distilling pot. The next day, the rose petals are replaced, and the same process is repeated. Having continued this for 4 to 5 days, the intensity of the fragrance gets increased.
Difference between Indian Attar and Western perfumery
The perfume houses usually have secret family recipes. On that day that I visited, in addition to The Rose Attar, “Hini Attar" was in the process. Having used more than 20 kinds of herbs and spices, it smells animalic like amber and quite spicy. Raw materials are thrown into the distiller before putting on fire. This means, making corrections later is no longer possible. This is very different from the Western-style.
In the Western-style, a “aroma palette” is first made by distilling materials one by one separately, and then mix them later. In other words, you can make corrections later as much as you want. In the case of Indian Attar, all is determined by the first formulation. Natural elements also affect the result: the quality of the cow dung as fuel, thermal power adjustment, the temperature of the cooling water, and temperature of the aging period, etc. This requires experiences and intuitions: it's like magic.
The surprising relationship between The Earth Attar and tea house
The surroundings of Kannauj is amazing. The earth of dry red soil continues forever. When we were almost approaching the town, we took a rest at one of the chai places that you could find roadside anywhere.
In the center of the teahouse the master was making hot water with charcoal. How many cups of chai would he be brewing per day sitting there? It was not just a cup of chai, but the carefully brewed one. I took a sip. The first notice was the smell of the earth. It is the scent that rises from terracotta cup. The dry, robust scent was coloured by the scent of spices and tea. Smooth taste of milk warmed the mouth.
Terracotta cup is for one-time use only and disposed. A potter makes them usually next to the teahouse. Since the water is very valuable, it’s probably more efficient to throw it away than washing it. The cup returns to the earth. It’s 100 percent bio-degradable.
Thus a cup of chai and the earth has an inseparable relationship. Indians taste and drink the earth on a daily basis. And I got to know then that The Earth Attar is made from the terracotta pottery. In place of rose petals, you use teracotta.
Mani said "If you spit water over the soil, there is the scent that rises that moment. Don't miss that moment. It is not a very strong smell. Replace the materials many times when distilling, so that the scent gets more intensity."
Mani gave me The Earth Attar that his friend made. It was very dry scent, reminding me of rough and vast ground around Kannauj.
The Earth Attar of Okinawa (Ishigaki Isl.)
Having learned the technique in India, new question arose. How to make terracotta from the soil then? It was an unexpected problem. I have no pottery experience, and not even able to tell the clay suitable for making teracotta from. However in Okinawa where I run a second studio, pottery making is a popular traditional art. So I visited potters and learned the way roughly. My friend who was the nature guide helped me with collecting the red soil from the riverbank.
I do not have to describe the whole process here but I did make teracotta from the earth as potters would do. Then I made a number of coins for the size of the distiller. It was the process that took many many days.
Then, I applied the method I learned in India for my equipment. Over a period of several days, sometimes leisurely on the wood stove, I continued distillation. So was “The earth perfume of Okinawa” developed. It was a refreshing scent somewhat dry, reminding me of a strong sunlight in the summer.
The Earth Attar of Rotterdam
Now is the Rotterdam’s earth. Since the clay is often found at the riverbank, I went to the Brienennoord Island in the middle of the river Maas (the downstream of Rhine) that flows through the center of Rotterdam. In the groomed beautiful park, I packed the earth in my car. I must have been a suspicious person. I filtered it, made terracotta clay, shaped coins, and then distilled them. Since Rotterdam is close to the sea, the earth contained a lot of sand, which made shaping coins quite difficult.
The scent of The Earth Attar of Rotterdam was like “dead microorganisms". First notice is the pungent smell. It's like rotten smell of protein. Since the river is polluted and nutrient rich, microorganisms are also rich. Compared to the Okinawa one, the smell is heavier. Smells do not lie. But once its first scent disappears, the warmth of sandalwood oil appears.
Future plans
This project was already getting attentions in the olfactory art scene. Especially an active curator in this scene, Caro Verbeek, showed her interest. I would like to find the venue for “premier” of this work.
In Delhi we (together with Aastha) are planning an exhibition with the result of our porject, with probably more olfactory works from me. An alternative gallery KOHJ showed their interest already. We have talked to The Dutch Embassy and The Japan Foundation about the idea, and they showed their interest to support the exhibition. This will be happening in the year 2015.
CREDITS
Centrum Beeldende Kunst Rotterdam O&O subsidy
MENU FOR NOSE
installation (2005)
[Premier] 28 May 2005
[Location] NIKA Coffee and Tea, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
[Exhibition Name] Kunstroute Noord
[Organizer] Business as Usual