Shota Yamauchi & Maki Ueda

When the “Smell of Love” Intertwines with the Body

Atop the stage sits a device combining a glass distiller and a large water tank with thin tubes—it is a distillation machine for extracting the body odor of humans. Using the distiller, a number of performers transform body odors collected from audience members into a perfume which is then blended with various fragrances in the large water tank to create “smell juice”. The performers soak themselves in the smell juice, playing with the smell and attempting to become the “smell of love” itself. An extraordinary indescribable scent lingers in the air. As the work progresses, the scents in the theater gradually change. What smell will envelop the venue at the end?

Emerging contemporary media artist Shota Yamauchi works at the intersection of digital technology and physical expression; this new piece is his theater debut. In his 2021 Maihime, Yamauchi explored animalistic tendencies in a human’s sense of touch, depicting a pseudo-sexual encounter between a human and a virtual gorilla in virtual space. His curiosity has extended into the realm of “smell,” which is closely tied to emotion and memory, leading to a collaboration with olfactory artist Maki Ueda for this new work.

A paradise of smells is born from mixing the body odors collected from audience members and various “smells of love”. Through the performance, encounter a moment when human reason and animalistic nature intricately coexist through the sense of smell.

☞ A Message from Shota Yamauchi & Maki Ueda
This performance is a piece to be performed and a space for experimenting with smells created together with the audience. Not only can you enjoy the performance but you can also become a part of it. (You can get involved in a deeper and more active way.) We will collect smells from audience members to create a “human scent perfume” during the performance. Those who would like to participate will receive a “scent collection kit” by post (also available to pick up at Meeting Point Shijo Karasuma). The kit includes detailed instructions on how to collect your scent.
By bringing your own scent to the venue, it will be ******ed during the performance and you will become part of the experiment. ♡ The number of kits is limited so if you are considering participating please purchase your tickets soon! We look forward to your active participation. ♡