Organized by: Wonder Art Production 2009 森のアート海のゲイジュツ

I find smells in a forest and extract them together with the children of age 7 – 12 on-site. We share  inspirations and wonders.

What do you smell now?

Where does it come from?

How would you describe the smell?

Why does it smell and what you smell?

We find the different smells of flower, leaf, tree bark, root, sand, mud, animal shit, etc. About 20 different scents are extracted. (the same amount as the participants)

Morning: Walking in the Shakujii Park（石神井公園）, collecting materials

Afternoon: Extracting at Chihiro Museum （岩崎ちひろ美術館）

The extracted smells are exhibited as SMELL BAR at: Mitaka City Museum 

Date：2009.8.10(Mon)－8.23(Sun）

- a bar for sniffing -

site specific research / installation (2010)

Electric-Eclectics Festival, Meaford, Canada on 01-03.08.2008.

[content]

Maki Ueda will research and find interesting local scents, and extract them on-site. The goal is to find the local and original scents; the scent of daily life, food, drinks, materials, persons, and environment. Because of the evaporating character of the smell molecules, scents cannot be

preserved very long, and therefore it's preferable to work local. Maki Ueda has been making a series of the perfume works under the name “Aromatic Journey” (http://www.ueda.nl/aromatic_journey1). These works focus on the local, extraordinary scents. The local culture is being explored and experienced by means of scent. The results are not a perfume to wear, but to smell and trigger one's imagination.

[extraction during the festival]

Maki Ueda will extract the scents of the chosen subject in a mini-laboratory installed in a caravan. The visitors can visit the caravan and observe the extraction process, and off course they can smell the scents-in-progress.

The premier of SMELL BAR was presented at the Electric Eclectic Festival 08, Meaford, Canada in August 2008.

SMELL BAR is a bar for sniffing. The bottles on the bar counter are at your disposal. You can sniff them from the bottles or with the perfume strips. It is an installation with which you can smell and experience the local smells.

The each smell is extracted manually from materials found in the environment. Thus they together form the environmental smell as collective.

In the fieldwork the environment is being explored and experienced by means of smell. Then the smells are extracted freshly on-site. It's because that the preservation of natural smell is almost impossible because of the character of the smell molecules: they are easy to viporate and decay. This work is not site-specific, but the extracts have to be made on-time on-site. The results are not a perfume to wear, but to smell and trigger one's emotion and imagination.
These smells below were found and extracted for the Meaford version.

• No. 1 White Clover (oil)
• No. 2 Red Clover (oil)
• No. 3 Spruce Leaves (oil)
• No. 4 Pine Leaves (water distillation)
• No. 5 Yew (tincture)
• No. 6 Pine Leaves (tincture)
• No. 7 Grass (tincture)
• No. 8 White Clover (tincture)
• No. 9 Queen Anne's Lace (tincture)
• No.10 Pink Clover (tincture)
• ….
  
• No.19 Grass (oil)
• No.20 Spruce Leaves (soxhlet extraction)

fieldwork: researching smells in the environment

The festival was taking place in a farm environment called 'funny farm'. The map indicates where the smelly materials were collected.

extraction process

The natural energy as sun light and the warm temperature was used for extracting the smells as much as possible.

bar counter & mobile lab

 - how to smell what you smell - 

workshop (2010)

A WORKSHOP INSPIRED BY THE JAPANESE TRADITIONAL FORM OF ARTS, KOHDO

Smell as if you listen!

Kõdõ, one of the three classical Japanese arts as tea ceremony, is a gathering of appreciating incense and sharing emotions and imaginations with the people living in different time and space. A Japanese olfactory artist Maki Ueda holds her original and artistic Kõdõ ceremony.

組香: Looking for Truffles （トリュフを探しに）























photos: Lucia Guglielmetti

組香: Looking for Truffles （トリュフを探しに）

伽羅　試無 本一　　　Truffle 　トリュフ　　 
羅国　試一 本一　　　White mushroom マッシュルーム　
真南蛮　試一 本一　　Porcini ポルチニ
真 那賀　試一 本一　　Poisonous red mushroom 赤い毒キノコ
佐曽羅　試一 本一　　Shiitake 椎茸
寸 聞多羅　試一 本一　Magic mushroomマジック・マッシュルーム

MORE ABOUT KOHDO

http://www.japan-zone.com/culture/kodo.shtml

"YUJO MONKOHZU" by NAGAHARU MIYAGAWA : a prostitute feeling tipsy while perfuming her own kimono with the incense.

PREMIER

CAMERA JAPAN FESTIVAL 2010

• One session lasts about an hour.
• Subscription required.
• Max. 10 participants per session
• Please don't wear perfume.

program :

• introduction of Kodo
• smelling game (1) olfactory travel all around the world
• smelling game (2) - Horse Rase (Kurabeuma Koh)

date & time:

Sun. 17/10/2010

• session (1) 15:00-16:00
• session (2) 17:00-18:00
• session (3) 19:00-20:00

palce:

LantarenVenster (NEW LOCATION) / Rotterdam

Artistenfoyer (1st floor)

one-hour olfactory walking workshop(2009)

goals

• re-finding of the area from smell perspective
• becoming more aware of the sense of smell
• getting to know the connections between the nature and our modern lives. example: the oak moss found on the tree bark is extracted and used a lot in perfumes, etc.

date: 23 & 24, Aug 2009

Kooipark, Leiden, The Netherlands

View in Google Map:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/albumMap?uname=110341721675628623374&aid=5345626595436543681#map

Pine tree - the most common tree in Dutch nature. Rub the leaves - you'll smell a refreshing fragrant as lemon, orange, and mint.


Let's smell the childen of pine tree too! Is it similar to the leaves or not?


With the rose as example, I've explained the various ways of retrieving essential oils from natural materials.


'Kampafoelie' in Dutch. Smells like lily, jasmine, and rose.


This pretty yellow flower should smell good - but it actually does not smell at all! Instead the leaves well. Smell of black pepper, grape, orange. Gourmand smell.


"This smells like orange!"


'Klimop' in Dutch. This grows everywhere in this country. The flower smells like Japanese 'fuki' - fatty, stinky smell. Reminds me of one autumn evening of Holland.


Vlinderstrook - flowers that Dutch people love. Compare the white one and purple one. The white one smell a touch of vanilla, like a virgin. The purple one smells more sexy.


Rozenbottel leaves smell like apple.


This one looks like mint, but its smell is nothing comparable to mint!
"Wow, what a strange smell!"
"This smell reminds me of something..."
"Yes... like an animal shop"
"Right, like a bird cage"

Thinking alone about the scent often doesn't lead to anywhere, but thinking together like a game leads to the idea of similar smell that we know. Very interesting!

I'm thankful to Marjan van Gerwen / Wijken voor Kunst / De Laekenhal, who gave me this opportunity. Thank you very much!