Something you have, something you’ve lost is an investigation in nostalgia and sensation. Exploring the relationship between sensory perception, in particularly scent, memory, mood, and behavior. In order to investigate this delicate relationship, a group of participants contributed vivid accounts of strongly evocative memories during a meditation and memory recollection session. Scent-oriented details from each of these descriptions were then extrapolated, using a steam distillation process to extract essential oils from the raw materials represented, interpreting the odors attached to each memory. Each manufactured scent was then integrated into a piece of jewellery, hand fabricated from brass tubing, meant to be worn by the participant in order to evoke a nostalgic response, instantaneously altering their mood.
The concept is that each piece acts as an object of comfort, worn around the neck for portability as well as accessibility. By stimulating a positive emotional response through this olfactory relationship, the adorned object intends to alter perception, overall influencing behavior. Whether that means relaxing the individual in times of stress, or encouraging him or her to keep going in times of self-doubt, the object acts to disrupt negative or overwhelming sensory experiences rooted in modern society.
