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@tohaveanosefor
Thanks
Updates: The exhibition has run it's course, and we have officially wrapped up the Scent Project. Yumin and I have spent quite a bit of time on this project and it's been great seeing how the project developed and receiving feedback from everyone. We would love to do Part II of the Scent Project - and who knows? Again, thanks to everyone to played a part in the project - in any way possible, and keep watching this space!
- Michelle
feedback from the public
4th week
Installation goes live!
And that's that - Yumin has slogged away at lab and painstakingly collected items for our Scent Project installation at the Singapore Management University concourse. We'll be posting our thoughts/ afterthoughts of the post installation and pre installation process - after all Scent Project is about the process and development of the artwork, and this project will hopefully continue till the end of September.
Keep a lookout for our other Scent Tests - on my part, I've interviewed and asked the people I meet - from different parts of the world, to answer questions about scents to see how people of different backgrounds and cultures smell the world in different ways.
- Michelle
The Scent Test
Anon - Written in Canada
Reflections on Post - Interview Process
In between visits to the labs and interview sessions with the elderly at the home, I finalised a list of scents and fragrances I thought would best reflect and capture the essence of memories that have been told orally.
A main problem I identified among the elderly during the scent tests, was that the scents smelt familiar to them but they were not able to identify the scents.
But this isn't just limited to the elderly. Whenever we smell something, we think we know what it is but it can be ever so hard to describe what it is, let alone talk about it. Furthermore, I have observed that the older generation do not really use much of their sense of smell, be it in the present or the past.
It is difficult and frustrating to communicate with the elderly, especially when it comes to getting their opinions regarding the scents. The language and generation gaps are make it hard for me to relate to their experiences - their thoughts, their mannerism, speech habits, way of life; everything just seems so different as compared to the present.
For the second scent test, I selected a variety of scents I felt were more relatable to the elderly - firecrackers, medicated oil, old books and shower soap etc. But judging from the results, the answers were not as ideal as expected.
In order to recreate a scent that smelt exactly like what the elderly had experience before is highly unlikely, that is, unless the actual product itself is used.
After much experimentation with the scents, the ones that the elderly were able to pick out were more distinct and simple; like firecrackers, coffee and fruits - those that had a distinct smell, were easier to guess.
Some of the scents that i wanted to include such as sewage water, incense, make up etc., were rejected as these compounds consist of too many elements and it would pose as a problem for the elderly as it was definitely harder to detect and duplicate.
Also, I feel that smell is fleeting - we are aware of the scents around us during the most random moments - such as the scent of garbage as you pass by a rubbish bin, the smell of incense as you walk by a temple or the homely nostalgic feeling you get when you sniff your neighbour's cooking.
So - how am I to go about finding scents that evoke positive responses from the elderly, when I was born in the 1990s and the elderly in the 20s? I guess, the least I can do was to replicate smell as similar to the original as possible and hopefully try to put myself in their shoes through the many talks with them.
- Yumin
The Scent Test
Sidney, 30 something, Harlem
Installation in progress (at the Singapore Management University Concourse).. wait for it!
the scent test #2: results
The Scent Test
Julian, written in Canada.
the scent test #1: results
Some were actually able to relate some of the smells back to their childhood days. Example 1: Fong Tai remembers picking mangoes from the trees at her kampong when she was young and enjoying it.
The Scent Project
Santi, Singapore, 22 - Written in Canada
The Scent Test
Karin, 19, California - written in New York
Updates: 2 more weeks!
So the blog is up and ready - Yumin has been faithfully putting up audio - visual accounts of the elderly at the Henderson Senior Citizens' Home, and I have been doing the edits and coordinating administrative matters from the cold winter in Lima, Peru. I must say it hasn't been the easiest experience working with the sister across several continents.
Otherwise, it's 3 more weeks to VOICE IV exhibition and boy are we psyched (and nervous) for it! A few partnerships and plans we have had - but we'll announce when the time is right. Fingers crossed!
- Michelle
Thoughts
No matter how grumpy, annoyed or unkempt someone may look, there is always a reason behind it. perhaps they have gone through some sort of emotional detachment. But whatever the case: we will find that every single person has a fascinating story to tell and a different perspective from which to tell it, all you have to do is just ask and listen.
- Yumin
Mdm. Lin Lian Chun: Home is Where the Heart is
Days living along Tofu Street, 1930s, Miss Lin Lian Chun:
As a child, I lived in Tofu Street .
There was a lot of shouting involved as food vendors attempted to sell various dishes: wanton mee, prawn noodles and oyster omelette; people were traveling from one place to another on trishaws and housewives were purchasing groceries from a wet market further down the street.
Tofu Street was a very bustling and happening area and it reeked strongly of fried foods (oil), charcoal and smoke.
(photos references from national archives singapore)
- Notes from interviews with Lin Lian Chun, by Yumin
Mdm. Fong Tai: Gone were the Days
Days as a sister/farmer/housewife, 1920s, Fong Tai
In the day she was planting crops, whereas in the night she was found doing household chores and taking care of her family.
She was at the field with her farmer's hat and rake, preparing for harvest. her surroundings smelt of mostly wet soil and manure.
Meals consisted mostly of crops she harvested, such as sweet potatoes, tapioca and rice; meat was shared among her family once a week.
Life was difficult and tiring, but it was definitely simpler and laidback as compared to the present, she says.
(photos references from national archives singapore)
- Notes from interviews with Fong Tai, by Yumin