Aromatherapy Photo-project
- williamogboke
- Oct 4, 2013
- 3 min read
The Aromatherapy Photo-Project
Location: Studio Momo, Herengracht, Amsterdam
Photographer: Fabian Van Der Meersch
My muses: Frank, Thessa and Arjen
In short; this photo –project demonstrates all the things I love about aromatherapy.
The goal for me was to simply have the plants (parts of used for aromatherapy) brought to life through everyday people. Seeing these plants is an evocative action in itself and the brain recalls their smells and the times we've experienced them. I was aware that I wasn’t able to source the raw materials for everything on my stock list but I did find that the food industry helped me hugely as did Amsterdam flower market. The total: 19 soil-reared characters, or parts of, were used as inspiration.
I wanted my volunteers to be photographed with the ones that resonated with them most. I used a different approach for each person.
Franks' picture is inspired by his environment.
I heard him talk a lot about his job. He works as a child minder in his local community centre. I asked him what challenges if any, he faced at work. He said the children were mainly a joy and well behaved. He said sometimes it was hard to get them to sustain their attention. Out of the 19 on the list I recommended tangerine and peppermint.
The resonance;
Tangerines are one of the first citrus fruits we learn to eat alone (independently) we can peel them easily as youngsters. Children from different backgrounds will be familiar with the scent. Away from ones parents and in a mixed environment, it may be empowering for a child. I chose peppermint as its resembles, and in fact -encourages a fresh breath of air. It reflects a kind of innocence. Peppermint oil is one of the best for concentration, new ideas and energy.
Thessa
I let her choose her own as she told me she was a huge lover of aromatherapy. I simply read down my list and she fired out ‘YES’ ‘NO’ ‘Maybe’
The two she chose were thyme and lime as she likes the smells.
The resonance:
Thessa is a thyme personality its quite ‘yang’ and fiery so I can see this. This has been mirrored in her health and hormone balance since she was a child. Lime is the least active out of the two. Citrus oils, although zesty, have a fairly calming effect on the nervous system. It was her balancing oil. The main player for exporting limes around the world is Brazil, which just so happens to be where Thessa spent most of her adult life.
Arjen
I asked each volunteer to bring something ‘that was important’ to them to the photo-shoot. Arjen brought his crutches, he had a trip week’s prior at a young relatives sport event. On the photo-day he was feeling much better and didn’t really need them as much as when he agreed to participate. He brought them anyway as ‘they make a great accessory’ I decided to choose essences to focus on his present physical state.
The resonance:
Ginger as it is anti-inflammatory. With the legs’ lack of use and need to heal –black pepper. It has warming and circulation boosting properties. These two functional physical properties required the addition of optimistic orange to move in line with his betterment.
See Thessa and Franks portraits here
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