Awakening the Senses
Our perception of the physical world is dependent on our
sense of touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell Neurosurgeon, Don Katz, proposes that in effect they are all one
sense, as the impressions gathered
simultaneously combine in the brain to help us understand what is before
us. Not only do they combine, but often different
senses cross over. For example, we can hear what we see - when we see a photograph of waves crashing on the beach, we also hear it
in our imagination.
Artists have always used this ability in the viewer to
awaken many senses at the same time. We
can imagine the smell of the flowers in a painting, feel the texture of a rough
piece of wood, visualize the galloping of horses in a musical composition.
While sense of touch is an obvious aspect of a sculpture, a two dimensional painting can also present an
impression of texture by breaking up a flat surface with brush strokes or marks. Kandinsky systematically codified
colours as musical notes, equating his paintings with musical symphonies. Picasso said; “Painting is a blind man’s
profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels”. The art critic
Achille Bonita Oliva calls it ‘the art of trespassing’
Installation art is experienced using all the senses as we
walk through, or interact with, the created environment, seeing, touching,
smelling or hearing and sometimes even
tasting, as in Meret Oppenheim’s 1956
“Spring Banquet” .
Adding to Aristotle’s naming of the five senses, Ibne
Sina identifies seven inner senses or Ḥawās al-Bāṭin, including al-hiss al-mushtarak ( common sense) al-khayal
(imagination), and wahm
(premonition or sixth sense). In recent
times, neuroscientists have identified as many as 21 senses and are still counting.
Touch is the first sense that develops in newborns, and
remains one of the most intimate and emotional of the senses throughout our
lives. The most mysterious and evocative
is the sense of smell. It Is the most primitive of the senses, with a direct
pathway to the brain’s long term memory.
A smell can trigger some of our deepest memories and
feelings. How instantly the aroma of food or a particular scent can take us
back to childhood. We cherish the smell of the first rain on parched earth, the
smell of old books, water sprinkled on a khas
ki chatai, the smell of freshly mown grass.. The smell of pine needles,
rather than a photograph is more likely to bring back memories of a holiday in
Nathiagali. Equally, unpleasant odors can bring back memories of distress or
fear.
Humans may be able to smell over 1 trillion scents, which
may explain the enduring industry of perfumery. The art of perfumery has been practised for at least 4000 years . Ibn e Sina was the
first to develop the art of distilling essential oils in the
10th century, which remains the basis of perfumery till
today. The incense and perfume trade generated
great wealth for merchants from Arabia, exceeding that of gold and precious
gems. Aroma therapy has been used for centuries to cure many mental and
physical illnesses.
Incense was and still is an essential part of religious
rituals, all over the world : ambrosia , myrrh and frankincense , sandalwood
and musk . Greek feasts had pigeons
flying overhead whose feathers were doused in perfumes.
The Rose became associated with Islam - the Damask Rose of Syria,
which is believed to be a
cultivar of our desi gulab or rosa
moschata. In Sufism, the rose is
the Queen of the Garden and the flower of Heaven. Rose water is sprinkled or
rose petals strewn on religious occasions , at weddings or on graves.
As Rumi said “If you
can't smell the fragrance don't come into the Garden of Love”.
Durriya Kazi
August 10, 2020
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