WALK SEVEN - Olfactory
Gathering and Smelling
For this exercise I moved back to the studio with a collection of miscellaneous items I found while walking. Some of them had a strong scent and which I could appreciate right away but others needed rubbing, scratching, breaking or heating to extract a scent. I was frequently surprised by what I found. Perhaps the most surprising was the lovely scent given off by the Black pine cone and the pleasant scent of blacktop.
What I have made here is the beginning of a booklet. I am only about 1/2 way through the items I collected so I consider this unfinished. I may add to it over the week so you may see it at 10 items or possible more.
As I was smelling, I was letting my mind wander to memories that were brought forth by the scent and those memories are recorded for each item. I also found that as I let my mind drift, the scent would conjured color as well. So I played scientist and created the OlfaColor reference which is also included for each item.
I have little perspective on this at the moment so let me know what your experience is. And forgive the typos that are more than likely scattered throughout.
This is such a lovely idea, to create a booklet like this. I like how it brings both the personal memories, specific to you, brought about by the scent into a format that's almost like a field guide for, say, a Girl Scout troop learning about plants or rocks. It's really like a very personal memory scent map/guide, intended to show people directly how each part of your walk, and every smell, makes you feel and remember.
ReplyDeleteDo you plan on printing it out and taking further notes on your next walk? I'd be interested to know if the same memories and colors came up each time.
Lisa, I like the idea of it being some kind of guide or reference book. I think that is what I was leaning toward. I would like to continue with it and at least finish what I have collected so far. And that is an interesting question if the same colors or memories would come up again. If I wait a while I will forget what I already wrote and I could try again with a blank-ish slate.
DeleteIf I thought is was good enough and finished enough, I would definitely consider printing it.
Thanks for looking.
Carrie
Hi Carrie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this wonderful booklet project. I can imagine it continuing through a full year, filling out the seasons with color and image and scent. Quality of photos and composition are neat and concise, like a time capsule. And your writing is very image driven. thank you!
Laurie C.
Laurie,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it. I will keep at it, at least for awhile. The full year sounds daunting but logical. I could possibly do 4 volumes, one for each season. Some how that makes it seem more manageable.
I really enjoy the writing part, telling a very small but significant story in just a paragraph. These all need work for sure but the format is working for me.
Thank you for looking through it.
Carrie
Carrie,
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed your project and am so impressed with how everything ties together. I agree with Laurie, the quality of your photos and composition are so beautiful and I think that makes the project all the more professional. I loved your memories and how each one ties back. I can tell you put a lot of energy and time into this --- keep going. It is a wonderful project! Out of curiosity -- what software program are you using for the graphics and placement?
Pam, Thanks for the nice feedback. I used your idea (I think it was you who mentioned it) of using the scanner for the images. It gave them a nice consistency. For the layout I used Adobe Photoshop for image edits and Indesign for layout, which works well for making it a booklet. It was fun and I will keep going on it. It might end up looking quite different when I'm done. I have already been thinking of changes I might make.
Delete