project Dialogue vol.1 'Dream Dust '- Ask Your Scent

Ask Your Scent

Conceptual & Performance (30 kinds of pure perfume) at the SEJONG ART center 2005

관객의 심리테스트를 통해 자신의 향을 찾아주는 일종의 개념 퍼포먼스 작업 (30여가지의 향료, 혼합재료)

Concept We often liken one’s personality to a scent. With this idea in mind, my project started from the question “Which scent do you have?” Or as a poet might put it, “Many people have no scent any more.” Instead, people delete their personality for success and a stable life. This project has been ongoing since 2005. With it I have already made and stored the scent of 2,000 Korean people.

Process This work consists of a performance to produce the scent of viewers, <Perfume Storage> for keeping the produced scents, and <People’s Fragrance>, an installation to distill the collected body odors.

Ask Your Scent – performance, 30 perfumes, psychological test sheet.

Each viewer submits the written result of an image-based psychological test to the perfumer, that is, the artist. The perfumer then begins making perfume based on these results. Each viewer’s constellation-perfume and bloody-type perfume are also added. (In the East, people often believe blood type reflects a person’s character and disposition.)

The resulting perfumes will be made by blending 5-8 odors, and will be named by the artist. As with conventional perfume, it will contain natural and chemical ingredients, but unlike conventional perfume, it will invite viewers to consider their disposition while viewing the process of making perfume, (and so dislikable perfumes will sometimes be made.) While making each perfume, the perfumer will ask questions of viewers so the perfume reflects their disposition and personality.

Perfume Storage – perfume (perfume bottles), lighting. Perfume, produced in Ask Your Scent, will be kept in 20ml bottles.

The viewer’s name, his or her blood type, the perfume ingredients, and constellation, will be written and posted on the bottles. People will be allowed to smell each perfume.

People’s Fragrance – gathered body odor, glass bottles for experimentation, lighting, variable sizes.

The body odors will be gathered while producing each person’s perfume. They will be contained in a laboratory grade glass bottle for distillation. People will be allowed to smell each distilled perfume.