Artwork title: Omoïdé
Artist: Yasuaki MATSUMOTO
Coordinator: Yoko IWASAKI
Narrative booklet composed by: Yuriko SUGIHARA / Akira NAKAGAWA

For this project the concept Yasuaki Matsumoto has developed is described as "olfactory art work to give". To comply with the social interaction restrictions posed by the Covid 19 pandemic, which is especially risky for the elderly, it was decided to use a different approach to interaction via exhibitions. Instead, the artworks created are posted to the care homes or facilities where elderly people live. 

It was also decided to contain the artwork in the form of a box that should be suitable as a gift. It is assumed that there is at least one caregiver other than the elderly person who received the artwork, such as family members and facilities staff. They would be responsible for opening the box, revealing the content and talking with the elderly recipient to draw out a narrative response. Importantly, this is intended to enact a process of "talking together."

Using this approach, in addition to the benefits it confers in overcoming Covid 19 restrictions, enables each elderly person to enjoy this artwork and engage in conversation in a relaxed manner with another trusted person in an environment with which they are familiar, and without the intervention of a third party. This also avoids the distractions of an exhibition or the clinical surroundings of a laboratory. Instead, by being able to appreciate the artwork in this way, it is anticipated that a more relaxed narrative response can be achieved.

In the previous research olfactory art has been created in various ways, some of which were too large or stimulating for the elderly, such as video works and large scale installations. More recent work by Yasuaki Matsumoto has become smaller and more intimate. The ‘box’ whose contents can be enjoyed and experienced has some history as an art form. In the course of this olfactory research artists Nathan Cohen and Reiko Kubota introduced this concept initially with their artwork Memory Box (2017), followed by other boxed artworks, both analogue and digital, that also included objects that could be personalized. Yasuaki Matsumoto created his first olfactory boxed artwork Eurydice in 2018.

Of necessity at the time, each artist's boxed artworks were presented initially in an exhibition or workshop, and not made available personally to individuals, although this was the intention behind their creation. Partly in response to the Covid 19 situation, the artwork Omoïdé is a first attempt to post a boxed olfactory artwork produced as a multiple as a "gift" to elderly recipients in their home. Underpinning this work is the concept of participatory art which, since the 1990's, has sought to promote the idea that art need not be limited to viewing in museums and galleries, so enabling wider participation. Omoïdé is intended to be considered in this context.

We had a lot of discussion about the contents of Omoïdé. In the first place, the scent, and how to position it, was important. Previously, the scents used in the boxed olfactory artworks had taken the form of solid, gauze-soaked fragrances, or bottled aromas, although Memory Box was itself scented. These required the viewer to actively bring the smaller scent samples to their nose to sniff it. (One reason for using scent in this way is to contain it within a more limited space, so a user need not disturb someone else in the room when they are smelling a particular scent – an important consideration in a care home situation). However, this emphasizes the scent brought to the nose in this way and we were also interested in the influence of scent that more casually appears to float in space and that can generate more spontaneous recognition, an ‘ahaa’ moment, which offers an alternative way to experience the sensation of smell. 

Consequently, we decided to think of a way that allows scent to float in the space by itself. We decided to include a few incense sticks and an incense holder in the Omoïdé ‘gift’ box. This would require their being taken out and ignited to create a calm space. For preference, we selected incense that is not associated with Buddhist temples and rituals, selecting instead those that give off a less familiar or strange scent.

Next, we considered the objects to be included in the ‘gift’ box with the scent. Since the scent is an invisible abstraction, we wanted to include objects that are a little more concrete and that might evoke some kind of memory. However, we also needed to select objects that are not too concrete in their form as they would risk becoming too overtly symbolic and potentially narrow the breadth of the artwork’s interpretation. In that case, there will be objects that do not make sense to those with whom they do not resonate. The objects we did consider are those that are not too visually assertive, have a variety of tactile sensations, make sounds, are received a little ahead of the gift giving season, or may be a toy that is reminiscent of a childhood ‘treasure’. We came up with the following list to select from: 

Artwork contents: Glass marbles, shells, children's sweets, mugwort leaves, bells, crape myrtle inflorescences, acorns, mud dumplings, crape myrtle shells, beads, fluffy yarn balls, wild bird wings, crayons, etc.

In the end, the three types of objects that were included in the prototype ‘gift’ box were linden tree nuts, coral fragments and bead balls, which Yasuaki Matsumoto personally loves. This content can be changed for other gifts, and it will be fun to think of gifts that are suitable for the season and the person receiving them. Potentially, this would encourage enthusiasm for receiving a ‘gift’ box for each of the 4 seasons, with the scent selection and the objects changing accordingly, with a consistent approach as to their use.

Having decided the scent and objects to be included in the box the next important requirement was to create a booklet, the contents of which explain the artwork’s intention and the way to successfully draw out narrative through interacting with it. A second instruction manual was also created to provide guidance to the care giver who needs to oversee the entire process and ensure this is done safely.

Various studies were conducted to arrive at the final form of the content, such as considering the booklet and manual as one book, or preparing different booklets for the elderly recipient and the caregiver. First and foremost, Yasuaki Matsumoto’s intention was to have elderly recipients and caregivers chat with each other while enjoying this artwork, like those we met at a Swedish workshop last year. By exchanging and resonating between the listener and the speaker, the apparently static relationship between them becomes more dynamic, which we also wish to capture as a related narrative. In reminiscence therapy, it is the medical staff who draw out the narrative, which promotes the notion of a hierarchy between doctor and patient. By contrast, our desired narrative approach seeks to enable the caregiver to draw out the memory of the recipient while minimising hierarchy in the relationship through a process of questioning.

Therefore, the booklet describing the narrative method is enclosed with the artwork, with the instruction manual provided separately describing the precautions required when engaging with it. The narrative specifications seek to avoid structural and straightforward questions such as, "What do you remember?". Rather, we have devised anti-structural, ‘poetic’ questions, that allow both the recipient and the care giver to wander through the forest of memory. In addition to poetic questions, beautiful abstract illustrations are also inserted into the booklet, which is intended to function as part of the artwork.

The instruction manual is posted separately to the care giver who has agreed to participate in this project, detailing the precautions and work required so these can be absorbed in advance. It is also provided to the elderly person who will be participating on the day of the experience. Additionally, an index (questionnaire) for measuring changes in the recipient's mood is enclosed with the manual, that needs to be completed both before and after engaging with Omoïdé.

A voice recorder is enclosed with the artwork and the caregiver presses a switch to record the recipient's experience and the narrative that follows the questioning guided by the booklet contents. We decided not to use video recording based on the experience of the workshop in Sweden where participants found the camera lens often resulted in self-conscious responses. To keep the process more natural we decided to use only a voice recorder, which is discrete and easily overlooked in the process of a discussion. Another advantage of voice recorders is that there is a lot to talk about, so we thought it would be better to record it directly.

The voice recordings are collected for analysis by the psychiatry specialists and nursing staff, with the questionnaires subjected to VAS analysis to determine user satisfaction. Yasuaki Matsumoto is also planning to process the sounds of the collected voice recorders to create another narrative piece and to use as a medium for subsequent olfactory artworks he may create.