The following message was posted to: dance-tech Hello -- The Journal of Performance Research (published by Taylor and Francis http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/) is just about to complete its first volume dedicated to the body and the senses in performance in a series of four related issues: ON VOICES, BODIESCAPES, ON SMELL, and MOVING BODIES. BODIESCAPES in particular would be of interest to many on this list -- the theme isn't explicitly technology; but for those of you working on theorizing relationships between bodies and technology -- I think you will find several of the articles rewarding. Probably MOVING BODIES as well -- but it's not out yet so I can't say for sure. And in case some of you are interested in the possibility of interactive olfactory experiences -- I have appended a draft version of a short journalistic piece submitted to the ON SMELL issue. best scott ******************* ******************* [DRAFT/ DRAFT] *sniffable media* If we think of the "five" senses in relation to digital media, smell is not the first one to come to mind because most software programmes and hardware target our sensory systems for sight and hearing. But someday smell may enter this domain of the digital: to be as seamlessly synthesized, compressed, stored, transmitted (emailed), displayed and played as sound and visual images are now. Apparently all we are waiting for is a workable business model. In the late 1990s, Joel Lloyd Bellenson, a software entrepreneur who was also a biologist specializing in genetics, began to research the role genes play in smell detection. Scientists had already discovered that the mechanism for detecting smell involves the binding of odor molecules carried on the air with proteins that sit on the surface of a neuron in the nose. Their shapes determine which odor molecule connects to which protein; when one shape matches another they bind together and the brain is sent a signal that triggers the sense of smell. Initially, Bellenson was interested in uncovering genetic sequences and had some ideas for the application of his research that focussed on enhancing the taste of food. As a part of the work of correlating genes with odor-matching proteins he needed to learn more about the proteins themselves, so Bellenson wrote a computer program that would simulate their binding with odor molecules. He also designed an odor output device, and in the process of fine-tuning the system of mixing and matching molecules and proteins to produce particular smells Bellenson came up with a smell index; 100 to 150 scent primaries from which a countless number of scents could be synthesized. From this invention emerged his new ambition to integrate smell with other media, and Bellenson and his partner Dexter Smith founded DigiScents in spring 1999 to exploit the business possibilities. They planned to license their smell index to commercial Internet companies and to sell a small scent producing output device referred to as the iSmell personal scent synthesizer that used a fan to release the scent of essential oils. (fig. 1.) Their aim was to integrate smell with visual and sonic media in a variety of contexts; e.g. computer games (imagine racing cars on your PC and smelling the burning rubber), DVD movies played on the home computer (smelling the forest in the Wizard of Oz) and email correspondence (using a special encoding format a smell can take up less than 2 kbytes of data). In October 2000, DigiScents won the "Best New Technology" award and they were widely reported on in the press. But in spring 2001, unable to find sufficient venture capital to continue, the company closed its doors. While currently there are several scientific and engineering laboratories experimenting with smell, from the development of synthetic nostrils to "olfactory displays" for use in immersive virtual environments, none of these seem to be moving very fast beyond the research and prototyping stage. The 20th century is also dotted with attempts to treat smell as a media in the context of art and entertainment. For instance in the late 1950s, American cinematographer Morton Heilig designed a multisensory arcade machine called the "Sensorama" that combined smells with stereoscopic visual images, but unfortunately he was not successful at raising the funds necessary to develop and market his creation. Various other experiments with smell as a media were made in the context of cinema, most famously in relation to John Waters' 1981 film "Polyester" in which he produced the Odorama 'scratch and sniff' cards (fig. 2). These were handed out to the audience when they arrived with instructions not to release the hidden smells until particular moments in the film. There were 10 smells on each card including a new car smell, pizza, gas, glue, flatulence and dirty tennis shoes. One can still experience this film as it was originally intended by purchasing the DVD release of "Polyester", which has the Odorama card packaged with it. While Odorama is a definitively low-tech interactive smell experience as compared to the Digiscents iSmell technology, 'scratch and sniff' is also a result of scientific research. It is based on the technology of 'microencapsulation' developed in the 1940s by the National Cash Register Company (NCR) in Dayton Ohio. (fig. 3 magnification x 1000 tiny glass capsules containing a liquid scent and glued onto paper) The basic concept is that of encapsulating a micro-particle or droplet to be released from the application of pressure via scratching or rubbing. Carbonless paper, for example, works on the principle that the pressure of marking on the page releases ink from the embedded microcapsules. Besides sharing laboratory origins, the link between Waters' Odorama and Bellenson's iSmell device lies in the intention to selectively release odor molecules into the air to drift into the nose, bind with a particular protein and trigger neuronal activity in the brain's smell centre. But unlike perfumery where bodies and scents are inextricably linked, Waters and Bellenson aimed to trigger smells in the context of specific visual and sonic media, to use the combinatorial and associative power of smell to stimulate memory and emotion and enhance experiences of art and entertainment. The primary difference between the two is in the potential for Bellenson's software code to make sniffable media as available as video streaming and MP3 sound files on the Internet. It's hard to predict how media designers, artists and developers might respond to this, but if the shifts that accompanied the computerising of sound and visual images are any indication perhaps we can look forward to a radical set of explorations into our relationship with the sense of smell. It is, however, realistic to predict that until it becomes commercially viable the future for olfactory digital artworks and entertainment is still just around the corner. (Scott deLahunta 14/07/03) Reference URLs (accessed 14 July 2003): Bosner, Kevin. "How Internet Odors Will Work". in How Stuff Works. 5 January 2001. http://www.howstuffworks.com/internet-odor.htm Platt, Charles. "You've Got Smell" in Wired Magazine. Issue 7.11, Nov. 1999. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.11/digiscent_pr.html Ronald T. Dodge Company. Innovators in the Art and Science of Microencapsulation http://www.rtdodge.com/ ---------------------------------------- The Dance-Tech mailing list has recently moved to a new address. To post a message, send email to dance-tech@dancetechnology.org. To unsubscribe, send email to lists@dancetechnology.org, with the words "unsubscribe dance-tech" in the message body. ----------------------------------------
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