Panel Statement

Panel: LOCATION/SPACE: Responsive Environments

Gwenn-Aël Lynn’s work deals with another aspect of atmospheric sensing and location: The implications of olfactory sensations for the evocation of specific emotions linked to the question of how cultural identities are created. In two art installations, one of them exhibited at ISEA2014, open source computer vision provides the visitor, whose body is the interface, with an aural and olfactory experience. The fragrances are created on the basis of interviews with expatriates whose identities are manifested through the olfactory and aural associations. Both installations contribute to building a critique of the politics of representation that are rooted in ocular hegemony and emphasize the deep connection between location, multisensory (atmospheric) experience and identity.

• Gwenn‑Aël Lynn (Chicago/Paris) studied Astronomy for a few years before finally deciding to become an artist. In the 1990’s, after focusing on sculpture and installation, he shifted towards performance art. At the same time he began his inquiry into perception.

Full text (PDF) p. 214-217