ABOUT
Join us on the Greek island of Kelalonia for an international art and research workshop preserving and sharing cultural memories through plant-based ingredients in olfactory-focused artwork! We will document early connections between aroma and culture, and produce artwork reflecting the importance of smell.
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Why Smell?
Through smell, we connect to our intuition, corporally communicating and comprehending self and environment. By breathing we remember we are alive and we can share stories in instinctive ways. In a world dominated by the visual sense, where physical interactions are minimized, we are in need of encounters which cannot be shared virtually to decrease alienation.
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Through transformative experiences of making, we explore invisible languages, question identity, concepts of distance, and develop our capacity for empathy.
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The workshop will take place during May 3-9, 2019.
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The program, focused on new modes of communication, will be greatly determined by the collective artists and the experience on the island during the Greek Easter season. Participants are invited to explore their practice through aroma and experimentation and interdisciplinary collaborative happenings are encoraged.
The collaborative partnership with local professionals will allow participants to explore areas in biodynamics, organic farming and cooking as it pertains to their inquiry and (artistic) interests. Interaction with other local experts and exceptional visiting artists is a significant component of the program.
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The program consists of three phases:
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1. Researching aromatic and therapeutic plants used in scent and natural cosmetics production in their natural nurseries.
In phase one, we will compile aromatic ingredients, recipes, therapeutic and cosmetic uses from history (included research for archeological findings of plants connected to Greek ritual worship and contemporary religious ceremonies), deepening understanding of the world's fascination with scent and the origins of perfume use in culture and catalog smells.
2.Creation of scents and plant cosmetics (based on the knowledge and pure natural materials). During phase two, studying with herbalists and perfumers, we will create our own contemporary and traditional aromas, documenting the processes, recording responses to and relationships with scent.
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3. Sharing the work. The final phase will be designing an experiential installation to share documentation, research, objects and scents.
The Instructor:
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ELLEN PETRUZZELLA
EDUCATION:
OREGON COLLEGE OF ART AND CRAFT: MFA 2018
ALCHIMIA: 2015-2016
CAPITAL UNIVERSITY: 2009
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: BFA 2003
BARD COLLEGE: 2001
SKIDMORE COLLEGE: 2001
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‘’My interdisciplinary artwork has included sharing walks, meals, and rituals involving handmade incense, soap and perfumes. I design sensory experiences which promote slowness and attention, require physical presence and resist digitizing. I explore preferences and aversions, provoking an experience of curiosity, questioning what is biological instinct and what is cultural construct. The experiences I create are designed to share misunderstood or previously inaccessible information through attentiveness to perception’’
Ellen Petruzzella.