Niou – When We Were Together Inhaling the Same Scent
Experience something invisible, scent, in one place, and share it in words.
Record Project is an innovative project where a vinyl turntable is placed inside the venue, and the speakers’ voices are directly recorded onto Sides A and B of the vinyl, on site. The project aimed to experience “scent” (=nioi) which cannot be seen, and to share it through words. Following the success of last year’s event, the project was held once again this year.
For this year’s project, we welcomed author Erika Kobayashi and olfactory artist Maki Ueda as guests. Also, Atsushi Yamane of Altphonic Studio once again operated the vinyl turntable following the last year’s event.
(from left to right: Erika Kobayashi, Maki Ueda, Atsushi Yamane)
Experiencing Record Cutting
The event began with an explanation of the record cutting by Atsushi Yamane. The audience was able to see the actual process of record cutting via screen. The picture shown here is the actual turntable.
Side A: Essays and Commentary
Following the guests’ self-introductions and casual talks, the event moved on to the record cutting of Side A. Erika Kobayashi read essays she had written for the event, and Maki Ueda made comments on them. The essays explored “nioi”, which would connect to Side B.
Side B: Experiencing Nioi
During the break, a sample of scent prepared by Maki Ueda was distributed to the audience.
The event resumed with the cutting of Side B. Maki Ueda explained how to open the sample bottles and experience the scent. The audience then smelled it, wrote down their impressions on post-it notes, and shared how a scent can be felt differently for each person. Side B mainly captured the exchanges between the guest and audience. Was “nioi” actually recorded on the vinyl? Perhaps the answers can be found on the post-it notes covering the outside wall.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank Erika Kobayashi, for reading her wonderful essays, to Maki Ueda, for preparing the scent inspired by them, and to Atsushi Yamane, who was kind enough to come over and showed us the direct cutting techniques following his contribution last year.
We are grateful for their efforts in making this wonderful event happen.
Event Information
- Date and Time: November 23, 2023, from 4pm to 6pm
- Venue: Ono Auditorium, Waseda University
Message from Guests
Recording what is unseen — a scent here and now — onto vinyl.
The “Ni” in “nioi” (scent) means the red color of sulfuretted mercury ore. And it is said that “niou” used to mean something shining, or an aura of which people’s senses are shared.
What did people smell during times of war? Can we come to know, or at least imagine, the scent from “records” of the past? Or can we pass on the scent here and now to the future?
We are told that we perceive “nioi” through olfactory receptors which recognize shape and structure, just like a key fitting into a keyhole. But still, there remain a lot of unknowns.
We would like to experience, record, share “now” and “nioi” through words which have been written and passed on, in a common place.
