후각의 공감각적 표현에 관한 연구 – 연구자의 설치작업을 중심으로

Abstract

It can be said that olfaction, the sense of smell, is the most instinctive and subconscious sense among all the senses. Due to its invisible and ephemeral characteristics, olfaction is sometimes called a hidden sensation. This led the author to ask “how can this invisible and immaterial sense be expressed as a work of art?” and “if plants had the five senses, could they communicate?”. Olfaction is an area less explored in art compared to its visual counterparts. Therefore, the author found the need to present a new perspective via olfaction achieved through conducting various research. The aim of this study is to derive new methods of expression through the realization that olfaction, as a medium, can be expressed in art; a subject matter less handled in a field that is almost exclusively focused on the visuals. For this, the author explored prior pieces that worked with a sense of smell as its subject matter or olfaction as the medium to convey a message. In addition, an analysis was conducted on the connection and communication of scents in various space and time settings through works that reflect upon the “olfactory imagination”. The research process was as follows. First, based on a theoretical examination of olfaction and synesthesia, synesthetic transference of olfaction and its artistic expressions were verified through case studies on works that utilized the sense of smell in both direct and indirect manners. Second, through collaboration with botanists, it was concluded that plants also have five senses and that humans and plants can indeed communicate through light and smell. In addition, through an installation with moss colonies, the reinterpretation of the works interacting with the senses and the infinite possibilities of art were both confirmed. Third, in the process of collecting scents, the implications were derived that non-materials such as scents can be transformed into a medium through olfactory imagination to express synesthesia. Based on this, the author intends to further explore new perceptions and possibilities of works that express the sense of smell in a synesthetic manner in the future.