Brain Smells (BCI Lab, Bit Studio, NOSE Story)

About This Project

Interactive installation visualizing brain activities stimulated by scents.

[research assistant] [co-producer]

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Although scents have the power to instantly bring back our memories, take us on a journey and even make us want to stop breathing, we have never taken a proper look at its influences on us.

Brain Smells is a collaborative project between scent designers (NOSE Story), brain computer interface engineers (BCI Lab, Mahidol University) and creative technologists (Bit Studio) for TEDxBangkok 2017. The project sets out to explore the influence of scents on our emotions and creative means to express it. Each participant is asked to plug in brain sensors, go through a 10 second calibration process and smell 3 scents designed to bring out different emotions. The brainwaves are then visualized in a formless liquid format using color and surfactant drops on milk basins.

The abstract morphing visuals represent the transitory qualities of scents and emotions. Each color represents an associated emotion – ‘red’ for stress, ‘yellow’ for creativity, ‘blue’ calm and relaxation. Surfactant which causes the ‘disperse’ motion for when the participant tries to recall memories and or uses imagination (active communication between the two hemispheres).

EXHIBITION

TEDxBangkok 2017

PRESS

‘Innovation Cases’ – TEDx Regional Workshop 2017, Kyoto
‘Do you smell what the brain is cooking?’ – Art4d Magazine

NOTEWORTHY MENTIONS

(Left) A painter blind from birth had the room in awe as she shared her conception of colors and made an accurate assumption of the experiment results.

(Right) An art therapist, participant of Brain Smells, created a spinoff project ‘Scent Painting’ to explore how scents can be used as an alternative medium for art therapy.