Jenny Tillotson

e-mail: jenny@tillotson.com > Jenny Tillotson

Jenny Tillotson is an artist and designer who invents clothes and jewellery with computerised scent-output systems for health and wellbeing.

Bio

Jenny Tillotson is an artist and designer who invents clothes and jewellery with computerised scent-output systems for health and wellbeing. Her work focuses on Scentsory Design©, concerning the relationship between aromas and emotional wellbeing. Tillotson is a Senior Research Fellow at Central Saint Martins University of the Arts London and Fellow of the Institute of Nanotechnology. She gained her BA in Fashion Communication from Central Saint Martins and PhD in Textiles from the Royal College of Art. Prior to her academic work she was a fashion stylist and Sensory Designer for Charmed Technology. Although the olfactory sense is dominated by the audiovisual senses, things are changing, especially after recent scientific breakthroughs in olfactory reception. As an artist this will give her much to play with in the future. Forthcoming projects include responsive environments and clothes embedded with pheromones and electronic-nose sensors. Jenny has exhibited and given lectures at Tate Modern, Victoria & Albert Museum, e-Culture Fair, Cheltenham Science Festival, NEMO Science Center, Dana Centre, Wired NextFest, SIGGRAPH, Avantex, Feed Festival, Brava Center of the Arts, Banff New Media Institute, Kings Fund and the Royal Society. Dr Tillotson is Founder and Creative Director of Sensory Design & Technology Ltd, specialising in the research and development of wearable wireless sensor networks and microfluidic devices for fragrance delivery and therapeutic applications in "emotional clothing".

Statement

The technology created for this project has provided a new way to send a scented message. Whether it is a good or bad scent depends on who is receiving the scent. New innovations in wireless technology have provided humans with an increased mobility and more efficiency and simplicity in a fast-paced life. "Scent Whisper" is a jewellery set that dispenses fragrances in response to a sensor. The two pieces focus on a spider and the defence mechanism in bombardier beetles that squirt predators with a high-pressure jet of boiling liquid in a rapid-fire action. The devices involve microfluidics and wireless technology that link a remote sensor with a fragrance-dispensing unit to create two items of jewellery that constitute the "wireless web". A message is "scent by a wireless web" from a spider to a bombardier beetle brooch that sprays a minute sample of fragrance. The purpose is to benefit human wellbeing, through olfaction stimulation of the autonomic nervous system, and as a novel communication system to send an aroma "message" that could be seductive (pheromones), protective (insect repellent or poison), healing (lavender) or informative (burnt toast!) The user whispers a secret message into a spider brooch, which wirelessly transmits the message to a beetle brooch worn by a partner. The spider's sensor, implanted in its abdomen records the humidity of the users breath, which subsequently releases a minute spray of scent from the beetle onto a localized area, creating a personal "scent bubble". Scentsory Design© paves the way to an expanded life, making the most of what the senses have to offer. The purpose is to increase creativity, expressions and visions, spark little reminders, expand colour, texture, sounds and taste, and push the boundaries of the senses we were not aware that we had. It transforms negative mood states into good sensation, releasing scents to help sleep, boost confidence, relax, energize, arouse, increase self-esteem, expand the imagination, bring people out of their shells, define self-image and open our sense of wonder.