JESSEWAKENSHAWSTUDIO︎︎︎
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︎︎︎Olfactive
S E R E N E G R E E N
Jesse Wakenshaw
30.05.24 - 03.06.24
Materials
Scent, Soap, Plywood, Glass, Epoxy, Stainless Steel
This exhibition contains the use of olfactive components comprising of both
natural and aroma chemicals throughout the installation.
Continuing his work as an experimental olfactive artist, Jesse Wakenshaw plays on our
body’s visceral emotional tie to scent and colour. In this chapter, Wakenshaw explores the
positive experience and the profound impact green-leaning aromas and hues have on our
sensory and emotional landscape.
The exhibition focuses on two primary components that have been creatively reinterpreted
into various compositions. The first component is Galbanum, a bitter-green gum resin
known for its distinctive green, stem-like aroma. The second is Iso Butyl Quinoline, an
aroma chemical characterised by its intense green, leathery, and root-like scent. These
elements serve as the foundational notes for the olfactory experience, showcasing the
versatility and depth of green fragrances through their complex and evocative profiles.
Galbanum’s fresh and sharp greenness pairs intriguingly with the robust, earthy qualities
of Iso Butyl Quinoline, offering a diverse range of sensory impressions in the exhibition’s
different accords.
A day spent in the greenhouse.
That instinct to take a deep breath around crushed foliage.
Watery cucumber over weary eyes.
Bathing outside under a canopy of green.
Bitter green foliage crushed between the feet.
Green is a cleanser for Wakenshaw, drawing from his own experiences living with OCD
and anxiety often struggling with the actions and feelings of rumination. In Serene Green,
scent is an invisible cleansing force helping to clear rumination that one can hold stagnant
in the mind.
Wakenshaw tactfully uses the whimsical qualities of scent to dive deep into the idea of
wellness within OCD. The room is overdosed with green, overtly suggesting, akin to the
relentless compulsion to scrub oneself and touch surfaces repeatedly.
Wakenshaw’s work plays on this instantaneous physical and mental exercise, creating
tiny moments of reprieve within the scented pieces. These tiny, whimsical interludes offer
a soothing escape, much like bending down to smell the crisp aroma of foliage. Here
the audience is encouraged to come up close and personal to experience the calming
tranquillity of green, tapping into the intrinsic bond between scent and emotion.
A synthetic garden awaits.
Words by Natasha Graham @UNSW MCCL
1. Lather
Soap/Scent/Green tea
Iso Butyl Quinoline/Galbanum/Orris root/Galbex/Veramoss/Ambroxan
Soapy/Green/Fruity
2. Glasshouse
Glass Lab funnels/Plywood/Coffee Filter paper/ Scent
1.Patch-
Clearwood/Geosmin/Carrot seed/Cocoa/Fir
Mineral/Soil
2.Cucubert -
Trans - 2 Cis-6-Nonadienal/ Geosmin
Waxy/Watery
3.Thallium-
Blackcurrant leaf/Cis- 3 Hexonal/Tripal/Undercavertol/Iso E super
Juicy/Sharp/Bitter
4.Absinthe Crush-
Sweet Fennel/Spearmint/Galbanum/Tarragon/Fir/Tomato leaf/Triple/Oakmoss/Juniper/Ambroxan/
Mastic
Cooling/Aromatic
5.Canopy -
Atlas Cedarwood/Fir/Cypress/Iso e super/Cedramber/Vertofix/Birch
Conifer/Woods
3. Fluoxetine $
Pill Sleeve/Money bag/Scent
Iso Butyl Quinoline/Cedramaber/Habonolide/Ambroxon
4. Cyber flower
Found blown glass flower/Stainless steel bracket/Scent
Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol/Gardenia/Mousse De Saxe/Tuberose
Vintage/Floral/
5. Vortex
Inkjet on transparency paper
29.7 x 42.0 cm
6. Wash
Stainless Steel shower cord/Cooper threads/Epoxy resin/Agar Agar/Scent
Iso Butyl Quinoline/Oakmoss/Violet leaf/linyl acetate
Inky/Mossy
7. Green Thumb
Single channel video, Lopped, No sound Duration :
8. Cis 3 Hexanol
Wheatgrass/Stainless Steel/Glass Beaker/Agar Agar/Scent
Cis 3 Hexanol/Pandanas Tincture
Green Floor Gallery recognise that we operate our business on the land of the
Kulin Nations. We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people who are the Traditional
Custodians of the land on which we work and live. We pay our deep respects to their
Elders, past and present.
Sovereignty was never ceded.
It was, and always will be Aboriginal land.
Exhibitions at Green Floor Gallery are thoughtfully curated to showcase a diversity of artistic
styles, mediums, and perspectives.
Green Floor Gallery is committed to promoting emerging talent and underrepresented voices.
Through special exhibitions, collaborations, and initiatives, we aim to shine a spotlight on artists
whose work challenges conventions and enriches our collective cultural landscape.
info@greenfloor.gallery
@greenfloorgallery