Interactive Odour and Sound Installation
This project was made while in residence in Enschede, via the European Pepinieres for Young Artists at the media department of the AKI. Its original intent was to combine odours and sounds in an installation that would reconsider european history, and in particular Dutch culture, from a postcolonial perpsective. This reconsideration would question the definition of art itself in relation to Dutch colonial history and its contemporary offshoot: globalisation.
In order to achieve this, three people helped me: Paul Janssen Klomp for the electronics, Antony Maubert for the music, and Michel Roudnitska for the odours. Smells and sounds were chosen and edited according to findings from historical material. However, as Antony and I were doing this research we quickly realized that books were not sufficient. So I decided to meet and talk to people who were involved, in some or other ways, with issues derived from Dutch colonialism. Thus, this project became about encounters between artists of different backgrounds and skills, as well as between people of very diversi.ed and sigini.cant life experience. And as Wouter Muller, one of the interviewee, pointed out about himself, it also became about process. A process of constant rede.nition (which is pretty much what art is about).
What is on this CD is not an exact reproduction of the installation (what would be the point anyways?). It is rather a complement. Interviews abstract that were edited out (for time and space sake) have been placed here. Some of the music is also here so those who did not have the opportunity to experience the installaton can get an idea of what it was like, and for others it will be a souvenir.
Listen to Gwenns' interview.