hankyoreh

at Another Way of Seeing

An exhibition is highlighting new and beautiful scents “painted” by people with visual impairments.

Another Way of Seeing, a gallery located in Seoul‘s Jongno district, operates a program to support art education and art activity for the blind. Now an exhibition has been staged to display the scents developed by four such people after a yearlong course in fragrance-making: Kim Du-seop, 19, and Park Seong-yeong, 20, both February graduates of the Seoul National School for the Blind, and current third-year students Kim Yeon-hee, 21, and Park Joo-young, 18. The exhibition, which kicked off on Apr. 4, is titled “Fragorama” (“Fragments of Sentiments Recorded in Scent”).

Visitors first sniff the 30 component scents used to make a final fragrance. They then read a text in which the blind individuals explain for themselves how they perceive the scents. It’s an experience that leaves many stunned at the sensitivity of the impressions, which are more idiosyncratic - and sometimes subtler - than those of people who process much of the world‘s information through the eyes.

The canvas hanging on the wall is completely blank, a white backdrop with no drawing or painting on it. Instead, it bears the words “A Painting of Scent.” Underneath, a legend explains that the work is “Starry Night” or “View of Arles with Irises” by Vincent van Gogh. It is through the different scents on the white canvas that the blue night sky and purple flowers are sensed.

The students were assisted by “fragrance education artist” Kim Ah-ra, 31. An employee of the fragrance research institute Scentory, Kim questioned her blind students persistently until they were able to describe their impressions of the scents. Sometimes working in conditions of darkness, they mixed together five to six scents - the raw materials - into one finished product. Over the course of their studies, their bodies became so finely attuned that they could sense the change from adding a single drop of fragrance.

Kim’s younger brother lost his eyesight from retinopathy of prematurity, she explained.

“I planned the fragrance class because I wanted to explore the possibility of other paths in life for the visually impaired besides becoming masseurs [the most common job placement for the blind in South Korea],” she said.

Kim also expressed her disagreement with the idea that the blind can “smell better” than those without visual impairments, which she called “prejudice.”

“The students keep asking, ‘Can I do this?,’ and I wanted to keep drumming on other senses besides sight,” she said.

South Korea currently has around 100 fragrance makers working at scent or cosmetic companies. None are known to be blind.

“If someone with a visual impairment has an original sense, then I think they could make fragrances,” said Im Won-cheol, a fragrance maker at Hanbul Cosmetics who helped provide scents for the class.

“But I haven’t yet heard of any cases of visually impaired perfume makers either here or overseas,” Im added.

Speaking on behalf of the class, Kim said, “I think that when they can feel confident as fragrance makers, there will come a day when blind people work making fragrances.”

The exhibition, which is supported by the cosmetics company L’Occitane, runs until May 10.

By Choi Woo-ri, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]