The Smell of JOY

People often talk about immersive, but do not always think about what role our senses play.  For us, how the exhibition smelt was key from the beginning.

Every meeting with Gemma was a delight for our noses.  Through the scents she wears to those she brought to test alongside the artworks. 

A stand out moment was during our event for exhibiting artists when Gemma brought along various scents in candle forms to gather feedback and begin conversations.  Artist Polly Merridew took one smell of a candle and said 'I'm not sure I really like this as a scent, but it does remind me of my artwork'.  The scent is fresh and bright and is reminiscent of freshly cut grass.

Gemma has been posting about her curated scentscape in her instagram feed if you'd like a more detailed description of the scents used.

EUPHROSYNE is the title of her scentscape. The Greek Goddess of merriment and pure joy, a perfect muse for creating the work.

In her own words:

 "I love to be enchanted by nature - to sow seeds and help things grow is to find light in darkness, hope in tomorrow, and trust in the unknown. I often use scent as a talisman because of how transformative it can be for moods and emotions. I think that's one of the beautiful things about olfaction, it is personal and magical. Have you ever smelt a rose and it instantly put a smile on your face?

 For this site-specific scentscape created for JOY I have chosen to work with smells that many people find uplifting and comforting, like grapefruit, bergamot and vanilla. As you move through the gallery space, I hope you recognise some scents - what can you identify? 

Our sense of smell is incredible. It is powerful, informative and a primal part of how we protect ourselves and learn about the world around us. To be immersed in scent can be inspiring, intoxicating and moving. No single smell is likely to evoke the same emotion for any two people. It is truly an individual experience dependent on a lifetime of memories made and emotions felt. 

I would love my work to be experienced as a celebration of the vibrancy of smells we encounter, and an invitation for the visitor to consider smells as art."

JOY...inspired by nature runs until the 22nd of September at the Herbert Museum and Art Gallery.