SENSORY DISORIENTATION AND OLFACTORY NAVIGATION _EXPERIENTIAL_SUPPORT


SENSORY DISORIENTATION AND OLFACTORY NAVIGATION
_EXPERIENTIAL_SUPPORT

 Areté Space, Beijing, China
Artists: Brian Goeltzenleuchter, Song Yuan
 Role: Experiential Support
DESCRIPTION

This exhibition brought together Brian Goeltzenleuchter’s Foodways and Odophonics, two works that extend beyond the visual into structured olfactory experience. While the paintings and compositions were developed prior, their presentation required resolving how scent, proximity, and audience interaction could function within the constraints of the gallery. The installation focused on creating controlled conditions for perception, allowing smell to operate with clarity, sequence, and intention without overwhelming the visual field or the space itself.




















FOODWAYS PAINTINGS

1. Problem
The work combines a static visual medium with an olfactory component that requires direct engagement but is inherently unstable, with scent dispersing, lingering, and potentially affecting both the space and the artwork.

2. Process
The installation was developed by assessing proximity, containment, pacing, and visual balance, considering how viewers approach the work, how scent is accessed, and how material presence can remain controlled within the gallery environment.

3. Solution
The final configuration uses small, contained scent elements placed beneath glass cloches, requiring a simple, deliberate interaction. Spatial arrangement keeps smelling and viewing distinct but related, allowing the olfactory component to be experienced in a controlled and legible way.












ODOPHONICS

1. Problem
The work presents scent as a sequence, while smell naturally overlaps and accumulates, making it difficult to maintain clarity between individual elements.

2. Process
The system was developed by considering segmentation, containment, sequence, and pacing, focusing on how each scent could remain distinct and how viewers could move through the work in an ordered way.

3. Resolution
The final installation uses individual, sealed glass containers arranged in a linear format to separate each element and guide movement, allowing the scents to be experienced one at a time and preserving the intended sequence.







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