How does Berlin smell? In the exhibition “22” the Berlin-based Norwegian smell researcher and artist Sissel Tolaas explores the smell landscape of Müllerstrasse in the Wedding neighborhood of Berlin.
22 - A two-part exhibition by Sissel Tolaas curated by Solvej Helweg Ovesen (Galerie Wedding) in cooperation with Christina Landbrecht (Schering Stiftung).
Within the frame of the programme SoS (Soft Solidarity), conceived by NatašaIlić and Solvej Helweg Ovesen at Galerie Wedding.
Opening 18.04.2019 at 7pm untill 10pm
Reception by Sabine Weißler (District Councillor of the Department of Further Education, Culture, Environment, Nature, Streets and Green Areas, District Office Berlin Mitte) and Introduction by Stein Iversen (Minister Councillor, Norwegian Embassy) and Solvej Helweg Ovesen (Curator, Galerie Wedding).
22
An exhibition beyond looking and for the nose: At Galerie Wedding, Sissel Tolaas communicates the invisible, olfactory stories and realities of the vivid and constantly evolving Müllerstraße in Berlin’s district Wedding. The presented smell- and landscape of the main street goes beyond the here and now and invites the visitors to immerse themselves in the various smells structures and layers of the past, present and future molecular information. The smells are blown into the space by 22 ventilators, which are activated by wind from Müllerstraße in real-time. The 22 recorded smell and wind sites refer directly to the locations of the 22 windmills that were grinding grains there in the 18th and 19th century and lined Müllerstraße from 1809 onwards. They gave the street – today a central artery of the city - its name.
So far Tolaas has created 52 olfactory profiles of international metropolises and is also researching the olfactory landscapes of coastlines, oceans, and extinct plant species. For the exhibition 22, she has investigated the scents of Müllerstraße, where in the course of industrialization, larger companies such as the pharmaceutical group Schering AG, began to establish themselves. Earlier, a left-wing working class had settled there and continues to shape the district, which is very culturally diverse today. The Weddingbased author Lauren van Vuuren accompanied the olfactory exploration of Müllerstraße from a linguistic perspective. Her docu-fiction texts can also be found in the exhibition.
22 was created in cooperation with the Schering Stiftung, where the second part of the exhibition opened on April 10th, 2019. While Galerie Wedding focuses on Tolaas' artistic olfactory work, the Schering Stiftung highlights her as a chemist and objects from Scherings' historical chemistry laboratory provide an insight into her scientific work. Both, steaming and silent glass bulbs, invite the audience to intense smelling of individual core smell molecules also from smell recordings in Müllerstraße.
For more information about the exhibition, visit the website of Galerie Wedding.
Further Events
27.04.2019 at 2.30pm »2 x 22« – curatorial tour with Solvej Helweg Ovesen and Christina Landbrecht, starting at Galerie Wedding and continuing at 3.30pm at Schering Stiftung (Unter den Linden 32, 10117 Berlin)
02.05.2019 at 7pm Isabel Lewis in conversation with Solvej Helweg Ovesen
21.05.2019 at 6pm curatorial tour with Solvej Helweg Ovesen and »22«- author Lauren van Vuuren followed by a conversation between Sissel Tolaas and Solvej Helweg Ovesen at 7pm
29.05.2019 at 7pm book launch of POW & UP – Galerie Wedding, Berlin Workshops for schools with Barbara Campaner in cooperation with Jugend im Museum e. V.
The artist thanks Richard Forster, Jan Römer, Rene Spierling, Fritz Strempel, Mickaël, Wiesengrün and Clemens Klein.
With the kind support of NORLA, Norwegian Literature Abroad, the Senate Department for Culture and Europe, Berlin, funds »Ausstellungsvergütungen«.