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"1 Woodchurch Road, London NW6 3PL," an installation piece by Maciá, encourages visitors to lift off the lids to each trashcan. Try to figure out the contents - you'll be surprised by what you smell inside.

'Odor Limits' sends an artistic fragrance through University City

By: Alysson Cwyk

Posted: 5/23/08

When I think of art galleries in Philadelphia, my mind is immediately drawn to Old City and Northern Liberties. Yes, Center City and other areas have its share of galleries, but the monthly First Friday events primarily take place between Second and Third streets north of Market Street. Aside from Drexel, the University of Pennsylvania, the Institute of Contemporary Art and Penn's Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, University City does not give me the impression of a district dedicated to presenting artistic development as opposed to scientific and educational advancements. But with the Ester M. Klein Art Gallery located at 3600 Market St. along the Avenue of Technology, University City can surely be associated with progressive art in Philadelphia.

I ventured over to the Ester M. Klein Art Gallery May 20 to experience their latest exhibit, "Odor Limits." In a collaboration between University City's Science Center and the Monell Center, the exhibit features mind-blowing multimedia highlighting olfactory art.

Olfactory art, which pertains to the sense of smell in conjunction with visual aesthetics, was a relatively odd term when I first heard of the concept. But after viewing "Odor Limits," I completely understand how the artists, scientists and curators working on the exhibit could connect sight and smell to "prompt thought-provoking insights into cultural differences, environmentalism, personal identity, spirituality and the philosophy of the body."

Curated by Jim Drobnick and Jennifer Fisher of Toronto's DisplayCult, "Odor Limits" features several pieces from four international artists, Oswaldo Maciá (London), Jenny Marketou (Athens/New York), Chrysanne Stathacos (Toronto/New York) and Clara Ursitti (Glasgow). These artists provide a balanced mix of art, technology and innovation, catering to the interests of any person venturing through University City, or our nation, for that matter.

On the subjects displayed at the Klein Gallery, Fisher said, "Because scent is unexpected in the visual art experience, it can give rise to works with a surprising element of directness and complexity."

And "Odor Limits" is quite the unique exhibit.

Docent Katie Beth Jerome led me through the gallery, explaining piece by piece along with her colleague Leslie Stein, a science communications officer from Monell. Jerome stressed that these pieces of art "really reach out to people … and speak to the viewer … speak to the experient."

The first works that I encountered were from Ursitti, who created two untitled videos that focused on body odors. We do not think about it, but, according to Stein, "the genes of our immune system gives each of us a very distinct body odor that's as distinct as our thumbprint" and provides attractions for others to our "personal perfumes."

The first video displayed a game of hide-and-seek between the artist and a specially trained scent dog, showing how we leave "odor tracks" wherever we go. The second piece shows George Dodd, a scientist, perfumer and aromatherapist, examining Ursitti's bare skin by sniffing to analyze scents found on different bodily locations. Did you know that the chemical compounds found in human earwax are similar to jasmine, an erotic smell, which is the most sought after element for perfumes? Or that feet produce an intense odor associated with the aroma of gourmet French cheeses? I became more educated by experiencing and viewing each and every work of art found in the gallery.

Next came the third and final video in the exhibit, a piece called "SMELL YOU>SMELL ME" from Marketou. In "SMELL YOU>SMELL ME," Marketou examines a slew of volunteers who answer inquiries about how they feel on the topic of smell. In a "Real World" confessional-type setting, every person responds individually to the questions posed by the artist. The characters are extremely different, yet all explain interesting insights on their thoughts of odors, ranging from having a large nose and smelling urine in New York City to claiming that Banff Centre has the most beautiful scent and once you have arrived, "All you wanna do is make love."

The entertaining interviewee responses draw the viewer into the piece, allowing oneself to question who, what, when, where, why and how we associate with the subject of odor.

Aside from the three videos, four other works, "Smell It: A Do-It-Yourself Smell Map" (Marketou), "Wish Machine" (Stathacos), "Smellscape" (Maciá), and my personal favorite, "1 Woodchurch Road, London NW6 3PL" (Maciá), all successfully displayed and projected a sense of odor through visual, interactive installations. Maciá's "1 Woodchurch Road, London NW6 3PL" is an installation work incorporating a line of trashcans, each containing a different odor found within the trash of Maciá's neighbors in his London apartment complex. Gallery-goers are encouraged to remove the lids from the trashcans, in order to figure out exactly what scent the artist is attempting to represent. Do not get grossed out! The odors are common, neutral smells that you could easily find yourself down the corridor of your own apartment.

Overall, "Odor Limits" is the perfect balance of art, science, and technology to enjoy and learn about olfactory art. I recommend going to the gallery with some friends so you can see how other people interact with and perceive odors, a thought that might not cross your mind too often, but we deal with everyday of our lives.

The Ester M. Klein Art Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. "Odor Limits" is a free exhibit and is running now through June 28.