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Artist Uses Scent and Color as Psychological Weapons
17 Apr
Summary
- Installation uses calming pink and military health units.
- Smells combine butter, Parma Violets, rubber, and chemicals.
- Art explores industrialization, militarization, and state control.
Irish artist Racheal Crowther has created a thought-provoking installation at London's Chisenhale Gallery, her first major exhibition. The space is adorned with calming pastel pinks, known as Baker-Miller pink, a color historically used in US jail cells to pacify individuals. This gentle aesthetic sharply contrasts with the presence of a large, austere mobile army health unit, a piece Crowther acquired from a military auction.
Upon entering the unit, visitors are enveloped in a peculiar olfactory experience. The sweet scent of butter and Parma Violets shifts to an overpowering rubber odor, reminiscent of the unit's former use. Discarded paperwork inside hints at its history, including its use in decontamination efforts after the 2018 Novichok nerve agent attack. This detail prompts visitors to question whether the prevalent rubber smell might signify something more sinister.
Crowther's work probes the manipulation of human senses, particularly color and scent, positioning them as tools of psychological operations (psyops). The installation questions the nature of health when dictated by the state and explores who benefits from industrial, military, or corporate care. Visitors are left contemplating whether they are being nurtured or exploited, caught between notions of care and control.
