Smelling the Ideas
Drawing an odor is not an easy task, due to the fact that odors are invisible to the human eye and therefore, we do not have an image to relate to them. Unless we use a chemical formula to draw their exact components, we will have to use our imagination to draw an odor without directly addressing its source.
There were other scholars who have experience in the field, specifically a great artist called Kate McLean who became an expert in drawing Sensory Maps , and from whom I have received inspiration to create my first drawing.
McLean points out that by creating art, one can experience a multisensory experience with our olfactory system. Moreover, she suggests that sketching odors in a journal is a great starting point to create a final piece of art. I decided to pour a glass of red wine from Spain (Reserva-2008-Rioja), called "Campo Viejo". I did not taste the w
ine, since my first interest was how my olfactory receptors caught "the image" of the smell.
On his blog, Chip Scanlan said “Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived,” Therefore, I closed my eyes and tried to visualize colors, symbols, or any image that came to my mind from the smell of the wine. Soon, I was able to recognize a blue, sharp color and a coarse texture (to me it look like corrugated cardboard). I took note and kept smelling. I also took a pencil and started drawing anything that came to my mind while holding the glass in my other hand.
As a personal touch, I wanted to materialize the intersection of odors, sounds and images. Since I have the tendency to link odors with sounds more than images, I drew two distinct images that allowed me to create a sort of pattern to describe the odors' strength and intensity, a type of musical notes. I believe they represent the intersection of visual, sound, and odor perception, since I noticed that I can represent a different pattern for every smell. For instance, I smelled white wine, and the symbols and colors are different.
