Tag: local_issue

OLFACTORY LABYRINTH VER. 8

– THE REVIVAL OF OIKAZE –

space installation (2025)

DATE: June 7th– September 7th, 2025
CONTEXT: The Ethers
VENUE: Craft Contemporary, Los Angeles, USA　
CURATOR/PRODUCER: The Institute for Art and Olfaction

[Concept]

This installation is set in a scene from The Tale of Genji, a Japanese love novel written about thousand years ago. It recreates the moment in the “Fireflies” chapter when Prince Hotaru falls in love with a noble princess. From behind bamboo blinds that visually obscure the room, an elegant fragrance drifts on the breeze, captivating him. This installation allows the viewer to experience that moment from Prince Hotaru’s perspective.

Unbeknownst to him, however, the refined scent was from a handsome and fragrant man, Genji―her stepfather―who was, in fact, courting her.

The scent carried on the wind is called “oikaze”, meaning “tail wind.” Aristocrats of the time used such scents as symbolic cues in social interactions. The word still challenges us today to reflect on our sensibility.

Scents: moving inward from the outer edge
• May rain
• Wild citrus blossoms in the garden
• Herbs used in the Sweet Flag Festival to ward off evil
• Decorative medicinal balls (kusudama) of the Festival
• Room incense of the season
• The scent of Genji’s garment (the stepfather)
• The scent of the princess’ garment

OLFACTORY LABYRINTH VER. 7

– Facets of the Forest –

space installation (2024)

DATE: November 1st – December 1st, 2024
CONTEXT: Art Festival “Akigawa Art Stream”, Tokyo Japan　
CURATOR/PRODUCER: Tomohiro Okada (Creative Cluster)
DSC01861

[Concept]

This installation, a partially site-specific installation created for Hinohara Village in Tokyo, invites viewers to experience the fleeting and ever-changing moments of forest aromas. Each bottle gracefully moves around the observer, dispersing scents continuously via ropes that descend inside the bottles. The installation captures the shifting facets of scents carried by the wind, offering an immersive journey into the dynamic nature of olfactory perception.

The scent of forest encompasses an intricate blend of elements—wood, soil, moss—all interacting and shifting under the influence of seasons, weather, temperature, and humidity. These stimuli reach our senses as air and wind carry them. At one moment, a fresh coniferous scent might dominate, while in the next, the earthy aroma of soil might emerge. The olfactory sense often focuses on keynotes within the overall aroma, much like hearing isolates a melody from background noise. This installation explores and shares the complexities of how scents are perceived and processed.

The exhibition took place in Hinohara Village, Tokyo, a region of mountains, emerald-green streams, and a rich harmony of sacred nature and centuries-old forest life. This area has long supplied cedar and cypress to central Tokyo and continues to nurture future forests through forestry practices. The work pays homage to the enduring relationship between the village and its forests, as well as the dedication to preserving this legacy for generations to come.

[Medium]

Bamboo skewers, glass bottles, ropes, silk threads, fragrances, solvents

[About the Olfactory Labyrinth Series]

Olfactory Labyrinth is a series exploring themes of olfaction and movement. This version is based on ver.4, while ver.6, with a similar structure, focused on the theme of pheromones.

[Scents Used in the Work]

  1. Hinoki (Japanese cypress) from Hinohara Village
  2. Cedar
  3. The Earth Accord (original)
  4. Moss Accord (original)
  5. Coniferous Accord (original)

EAU DE ISHIGAKI

THE AIR OF ISHIGAKI ISLAND

installation (2020)
DATE: November 2020
CONTEXT: Fusaki Art Week (local art festival in Ishigaki Island)
VENUE: Fusaki Beach Resort, Ishigaki Japan

Fragrances extracted from local flowers are exhibited in the way representing the sphere of the island.

1. Powder Puff Tree

2. Night Jasmine

3. Silk Jasmine

4. Lotus

5. A Queen of the Night

6. Taiwan Sugar Palm

1A1637D6-ECAB-475B-86A5-E147CD1F3E28_1_105_c

56AE8829-3E9C-4580-B5A2-2ABE2E84715A_1_105_c