holding back is another kind of need

From 2016-2018 I created a series of perfumes that capture the smell of individuals who have emotional significance to me.  An exploration in the use of science for emotional ends, I have successfully bottled the scent profiles of three people.  In the obsessively hygienic and reason driven laboratory where I distill these smells, I often reflect on the constant negotiation between the animal with the cultured human within ourselves.

This projecting was currently conducted in tandem with research in neuroscience correlating olfactory stimuli with behavioral responses. An investigation into subliminal brain processes and modes of communication that occur through olfaction.  

medium
scents distilled from a human, ethanol, borosilicate glass, rubber

dimensions
variable

year
2016-2018

exhibitions
Woods-Gerry Gallery - RISD

tags
olfactory, biological, portrait

technical collaborator:
Chemist Noam Prywes