The risk factors of being Anosmic
A project based on a disability condition
As I only discovered this condition when I was in year 7, to this day it still feels like it’s a learning journey. The fact that no doctor has told me any information on Anosmia I made it my goal to do so. Which then led me to finding the risks that an anosmic person has to face everyday. Most people think ‘Well it’s just you cant smell’. There is so much more to Anosmia than this fact. Mental health has an impact on the mind - the self awareness is to the max. A particular survey on the effects smell and taste disorders found ‘43% said they suffered from depression due to their smell and taste disorder, while 57% said that they have felt alone and isolated while living with their condition’.
This exhibition was about telling my story of person being Anosmic. The model can not smell and this is how their life is now appears.
Some individuals are over weight on the other hand other are under weight. The feeling of being left out at family meals, perfume testing and cooking. The constant effort it takes to get through the day. ‘You have to keep you eye peeled’ 24/7. I wanted to bring awareness to the topic as a whole but also show that being Anosmic is a bit like living on the edge everyday for the rest of my life.
GAS LEAK A young lady is asleep on a cushion in a room full of bottled gas.
CAUGHT IN A FIRE A lady and man of a similar aged are in a room with fire unaware. They are facing each other.
FOOD POISONING A spoiled raw chop on a pale plate.
The smell map contains green fuzzy fabric, clear bottles and yellow sticky notes.
The smell map of college
This was a map based on what I thought the college campus would smell like in different areas of the campus. It was an interactive 3d experiment which people seemed to enjoy. A sensory experience which every one could participate in. The sticky notes suggested what the pupils thought the scents were and what memory was linked towards it. The scents included a drug scented oil, essence sticks and soaked fabrics.
Here is the contact sheet of my model pretending to be asleep in the studio settled on a blond yellow pillow. It didn’t take long to complete the shoot, i would say all within the hour. The makeup, styling and hair was completed by the model herself.
This work was presented in the final exhibition along side the 3 medium sized studio images. But this wall was this interactive activity for the visitors to complete where I had to give them some direction to follow. Each box contained an item which the viewer / smeller would have to guess what it was. You could draw a picture or write words down on the sticky note and add them to the collection.