Synesthesia
This exploration of sensory translation later gave birth to my "Spring's Eve Dream" series — where ancient myths meet questions of immortality and technological future.
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The "Synesthesia" Olfactory Project (Kochubey Mansion and Art Library, St. Petersburg, 2022) represents an experimental series in which personal memory and a neurological phenomenon become tools for creating an autonomous sensory universe. Drawing on her own innate synesthesia, the artist systematizes cross-modal connections between visual imagery (motifs of gardens and forests, childhood, and the urban environment) and their olfactory equivalents.
The project's objective is not to illustrate scents but to construct "sensory portals" that allow entry into the subjective fabric of memory and to experience it as a holistic physiological phenomenon.
The project's objective is not to illustrate scents but to construct "sensory portals" that allow entry into the subjective fabric of memory and to experience it as a holistic physiological phenomenon.
Presented as an exhibition at Kochubey Mansion & Art Library, St. Petersburg, May - August 2022.
The initial foundation of the series comprised twelve mixed-media paintings forming a unified mosaic-like space. Each work presents a complex, textured surface where layered painting intertwines with tactile elements, and its chromatic and rhythmic structure serves as a direct visual "translation" of a specific sensation.
This translation was formalized through a collaboration with perfumer E. Dargel: the olfactory compositions were created not merely as background but as a synesthetic translation of the paintings, forming inseparable "image–scent" pairs. Thus, the technique of "creative alchemy" was here applied to encode multisensory experience into material form.
This translation was formalized through a collaboration with perfumer E. Dargel: the olfactory compositions were created not merely as background but as a synesthetic translation of the paintings, forming inseparable "image–scent" pairs. Thus, the technique of "creative alchemy" was here applied to encode multisensory experience into material form.
Presented as an exhibition at Kochubey Mansion & Art Library, St. Petersburg, May - August 2022.
The significance of the "Synesthesia" project lies in its contribution to the discourse of embodied cognition and neo-sensorialism in contemporary art. It shifts the focus from purely visual perception toward bodily and emotional immersion, aligning with a global demand for deeper, more immersive formats of artistic experience.
The project demonstrates how a personal, almost intimate neurological phenomenon can be transformed into a universal artistic language, fostering empathetic understanding of another's subjectivity. This positions the artist not only as a creator of objects but also as an engineer of unique perceptual conditions, significantly expanding the boundaries of her practice and amplifying the intellectual impact of her works.
At present, the artist continues working on the "Synesthesia" series, incorporating an aromatic component directly into new works as part of a unified experiential space for the viewer.
The project demonstrates how a personal, almost intimate neurological phenomenon can be transformed into a universal artistic language, fostering empathetic understanding of another's subjectivity. This positions the artist not only as a creator of objects but also as an engineer of unique perceptual conditions, significantly expanding the boundaries of her practice and amplifying the intellectual impact of her works.
At present, the artist continues working on the "Synesthesia" series, incorporating an aromatic component directly into new works as part of a unified experiential space for the viewer.