Storytelling through smell and touch
Wander Eikelboom and Mark Meeuwenoord
Touch and smell are powerful tools to immerse audiences into a story. In this field research, Wander Eikelboom, Mark Meeuwenoord and Sander Biemans guided participants in incorporating smell and touch for embodied narratives.
After sniffing a variety of scents, participating field researchers shared their personal memories triggered by the smells and formed small teams to create a short story.
Three experiences were designed and captured on film. Each group used carefully chosen scents and materials to enhance the immersive experience. In creating these short stories the participants gained a better understanding of smell and touch as storytelling tools and how to potentially use this in their own design and artistic practice.
An assortment of materials was explored to add tactility to the experience. The groups were invited to examine the consequences of touch and scent for creating emotional attachment and visceral engagement. We used blindfolds to block the dominant sense of sight, in order to gain a better understanding of the immersive effects of these other so-called lower senses.
Veldonderzoeksleider Wander Eikelboom is lid van de kenniskring Autonoom Maken en docent aan de bacheloropleiding Communication & Multimedia Design bij ACUE in Breda. Mark Meeuwenoord is lid van de docentenwerkgroep Mensgericht Creëren. Beide onderzoekers doen binnen hun ontwerppraktijken onderzoek naar nieuwe vormen van zintuigelijke beleving voor het vertellen van verhalen. In dit veldonderzoek werden uitkomsten en ervaringen uit voorgaande onderzoeksprojecten overgedragen op studenten, mede door hen de experimenten zelf te laten ondergaan.