Life, birth, war, menstruation, HIV, transfusion — blood courses through the veins of the human experience. But how does the smell of blood make us feel?
Inspired by the link between smell and memory, Sentience relates to our capacity to perceive, feel or experience subjectively. It is believed that much of our emotional response to smell is largely dictated by past experiences, which explains why individuals perceive the same smell differently.
Sentience is a synesthetic installation that transforms a smell–induced emotive response into a visual experience. The smell of blood is produced by a mammalian molecule — trans-4,5-epoxy- 2(E)-Decenal —that gives blood its characteristic metallic odour.
Inspired by the likes of smell artist Sissel Tolaas, installation artist duo Nonotak and Behavioural Physiologist Prof. Matthias Laska, the work is an open invitation to navigate between the material, the digital and the sensorial — presenting audience members with a fleeting experience that recalls memories and feelings deeply rooted in time.
Sentience creates a sensory playground that invites participants to tap into their deep-seated beliefs about blood. Ultimately, the exhibit asked us to pause; and reflect on our memories. How do they make us smell?
Sentience was conceptualised by Olivier Cotsaftis and Sarah McArthur, produced in collaboration with Microsoft Australia and was commissioned by Science Gallery Melbourne for their 2017 inaugural exhibition ‘Blood: Attract & Repel’.
