121st metaPhorest Seminar
April 30, 2026 (Thu.) 19:00–21:00
121st metaPhorest Seminar by Maki Ueda
This event will be primarily in Japanese, but questions and comments in English are also welcome.
For the April 30 metaPhorest Seminar, we are delighted to welcome Maki Ueda, a leading pioneer of olfactory art, whose artistic medium is scent itself. Ueda will discuss Olfacto-Politics, centering on her large-scale installation at the Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome, developed as part of her work as a 2025 Artist Fellow of the Civic Creative Base Tokyo (CCBT).
Date & Venue
April 30, 2026 (Thu.) 19:00–21:00 Waseda University, Tokyo Women's Medical University Joint Institution for Advanced Biomedical Sciences (TWIns), 3F https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wy23SqPPMo3P7V8JA
ONLINE （The video quality is poor, so please come to the venue in person if you can.）
This seminar can also be held online. Zoom Link
Olfacto-Politics
When do we describe something as “smelly” or a “bad smell”? Conversely, what makes a scent pleasant?
Olfacto-Politics is an experimental, multifaceted project developed by Maki Ueda as an Artist Fellow at the 2025 Civic Creative Base Tokyo (CCBT). The project sought to make visible the often-unconscious ways in which the sense of smell is used to justify structures of exclusion and attraction.
At the heart of the project was Forest of Scents, an environmental installation presented within the giant dome of the Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse as a living biome. The work offered visitors a simulated experience of multispecies olfactory interaction. Before entering the space, participants selected one of three roles—moth, bat, or human—and attended a workshop where they created perfumes designed either to attract or repel others. Wearing these fragrances, participants became moving sources of chemical signals within the environment.
Fragrances pre-installed throughout the space drifted through the air on particles of mist and fog, sometimes visible and sometimes invisible, guiding, luring, and confusing participants as they navigated the installation.
In natural ecosystems, organisms constantly exchange chemical signals. Flowers emit volatile compounds to attract pollinators, while animals such as moths and bats respond to pheromones and food-related scents. Plants release warning signals to neighboring plants when damaged, yet these same compounds may simultaneously repel herbivorous insects. Such invisible exchanges form layers of ecological communication suspended in the air around us.
This installation invited audiences of all ages to actively participate in such an atmospheric field of chemical signaling, transforming ecological communication into an embodied sensory experience.
In addition to discussing Olfacto-Politics, this talk will introduce other recent projects, including Dog's Nose, a field research initiative utilizing digital olfactory sensors, and SMELL LAB, a series of workshops exploring topics such as the smell of Tokyo and the smell of global warming. Together, these projects provide an opportunity to reflect on the olfactory dynamics embedded in everyday life and to imagine possible futures of smell.
Related Links
CCBT Project Overview https://ccbt.rekibun.or.jp/art-incubation/47468
Download the ZINE https://ccbt.rekibun.or.jp/.../04/Olfacto-Politics-ZINE.pdf
Maki Ueda
Maki Ueda is an olfactory artist who works with scent as her primary material. As a globally recognized pioneer in the field, she has played a leading role in the development of olfactory art. Her many honors include the 2024 Commissioner's Award for Cultural Affairs from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan.
Based on Ishigaki Island, she conducts research, education, and public engagement activities related to olfactory art while exhibiting internationally. She is also a 2025 Artist Fellow of the Civic Creative Base Tokyo (CCBT).
Online Portfolio
ueda.nl http://www.ueda.nl/