Yuqing Liu's artistic journey in olfactory interaction art is profoundly personal, inspired by her grandfather's battle with Alzheimer's disease. Witnessing his fading memories, Liu was deeply moved by his attempts to preserve fragments of his past in sketchbooks. These sketches, filled with hand-drawn maps and stories, became her window into the human memory, fueling her passion to create.
Choosing scent as her medium, Liu focused on its potent ability to trigger memories and emotions. In a world dominated by visual stimuli, she believed expanding sensory perceptions could offer new understandings. Scent, with its direct link to emotions and memory, stood out as a natural interactive material for her art. It offered a way to design experiences that not only retrieve memories but also resonate deeply on an emotional level.
Liu's work is a blend of love, loss, and a desire to preserve the ephemeral threads of memory that define human experiences. Her belief in the importance of olfactory senses in perceiving environments, recording emotions, and even detecting danger signals is central to her practice. She sees the evolution of technology, particularly in virtual and mixed realities, as an opportunity to integrate scent in ways that have been largely unexplored.
Her art is not just interactive; it's a mission to tap into the deepest recesses of memory and emotion through scent. As she envisions a future where technology embraces all senses, including olfaction, Liu's work stands as a crucial step in expanding the boundaries of sensory interaction in art. Her dedication to this field reflects a unique approach to preserving and evoking memories, making her work a significant contribution to the realm of sensory art.
