Blood: Attract and Repel

THE SMELL OF blood is unmistakable. But have you thought about how the metallic scent makes you feel? The first work that visitors will encounter in this exhibition explores this question. As the smell hits, cameras will emotion-map visitors’ faces, recording their responses. Some faces may register fear; others hunger, calmness, or nostalgia. According to Dr Ryan Jefferies, creative director of Blood: Attract and Repel, this piece – by Australian artists Ollie Cotsaftis and Sarah Mcarthur – is the beginning of a journey that interrogates the very fluid that keeps us alive. Blood is the first exhibition for Science Gallery, located at the University of Melbourne. It’s the sixth in a series of Science Galleries in cities across the world, all of them tied to universities. The project aims to close the gap between art and science in highly participatory (and at times, confronting) exhibitions.