Last year, I started to explore using scent in my artwork, and have always been interested in the idea of interactive art. I felt like if the viewers were encouraged to get involved with the artwork, then they'd pay more attention to it. The work that I showed in the Play with Me exhibtion in second year was very successful, possibly because people could interact with it. I have recently begun to think about how using scent and playfulness in my work could make my art more inclusive. I've always thought that art should be accessible to everyone, but had never really considered how it could be accessible to those with special needs, other than in college, when a me and a couple of my friends created a sensory play workshop for art students with special needs. This sentiment has resurfaced in my work recently, and I am interested in how I can make my work inclusive and why it is important to do so.
Sensory play is often associated with children, but can be highly beneficial to those who are on the autistic spectrum. According to Goodstart Early Learning, 'sensory play includes any activity that stimulates a young child's senses of touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing' (goodstart.org, 2019), however I believe it can be beneficial to people of all ages. Stress balls are commonly used by adults, as it is know that 'the act of repeatedly squeezing the ball releases tension and helps to relieve stress' (Apollo Health, 2016).
I often work with soft sculpture, and the audience is encouraged to touch, squeeze and play with the "appendages".
Recently, in the last year and a half, I've begun experimenting with using scent in my work, in the form of essential oils. Essential oils are very powerful, and each one has its own benefits. As part of my soapmaking, I have researched a range of essential oils and what they're benefits are. These include sweet orange oil, lemon oil, tea tree oil, pepperming oil and lavender oil. Each of these oils can have a direct effect on skin, but can also affect a person's mood. 'Inhaling essential oils stimulates the olfactory system, the part of the brain connected to smell, including the nose and the brain.' (Yvette Brazier, Medical News Today, 2017) and 'apart from providing a pleasant smell, aromatherapy oils can provide respiratory disinfection, decongestant, and psychological benefits.' (Brazier, 2017). Certain essential oils have benefits such as easing symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression and reducing pain, headaches and fatigue, among many others.
As sensory play also includes scent, and essential oils can be used in many ways, I have begun to combine scent with my soft sculptures, by adding essential oils to the stuffing in my sculptures. I use different essential oils depending on how I want my audience to feel. For example, I may use lavender to encourage my viewers to feel calm (Holland & Barrett, 2020) or orange essential oil to help lift their mood (Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph.D., Healthline, 2019).
So far, my soft sculpture installations include sight, touch and scent, although I'd like to explore the use of music alongside my sculptures in future. I'm particularly interested in whether different music encourages people to play with the sculptures in different ways, and whether slow music encourages people to spend longer in my installation. I think that fast, upbeat music may encourage more aggressive, energetic play, while slow, calm music may make viewers slow down and play more gently.
'Bits and Bobs', Georgia Plumb, Play with Me Exhibition, 2019
'Bits and Bobs', Georgia Plumb, Play with Me Exhibition, 2019