100 UDK 792.02:159.933  
       159.933:792.02  
DOI 10.51937/Amfiteater-2021-2/100-119
In recent decades, the trend or the need for an experience of the effect of immersion 
into theatre events, other branches of art, tourism, everyday business and private life 
has become quite evident. We are used to audio-visual communication, which, from the 
Renaissance onwards, became the dominant channel for delivering messages, while other 
senses became less important.
Until the middle of the 20th century, the role of smell in theatre practices was neglected, 
and more important senses took over the place of communication and staging. Rarely 
it was used as a direct prop, but always very carefully, because, according to many 
experts, it cannot be controlled like sound and light. However, we have forgotten that 
the smell, especially in combination with the sound, can have a strong emotional impact 
on a spectator. Like the other senses, the scent recreates the context of memories and 
can evoke an intense reliving of emotions and events. It can also provoke an evaluation 
or re-evaluation of the past, thereby affecting the perception of the present. Reality is 
perceived through the adaptation of sensory information, which is shaped and interpreted 
under the influence of past experiences. Experiences create expectations, and expectations 
create our subjective reality considering everyday life and theatrical performance. This 
relationship is especially noticeable in sensorial theatre.
In the last decade, an effort has been made to bring scents and other tools of sensorial 
theatre back to the stage, just as – according to foreign sources – they were an important 
part of events in antiquity. In this way, the stage can be enriched with an additional 
dimension of communication and expression. The paper presents various methods and 
experiments on the use of scent and other tools of sensorial theatre, evaluating their 
phenomenology and effectiveness from the perspective of the performing arts and 
psychological science.
Keywords: sensorial theatre, perception of reality, psychological immersion, smell, 
memories
101
Igor Areh, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology at the Faculty of Criminal Justice 
and Security, University of Maribor. His lectures and research work focus mainly on 
interviews of witnesses, crime victims and suspects. In his successfully defended 2008 
doctoral dissertation in psychology, he researched gender differences in eyewitness 
memory recall. He has published over ninety papers and four books on forensic psychology 
issues, such as cognitive biases, eyewitness perception and memory. As a guest lecturer, 
he has delivered several lectures at universities in the UK, France and Spain.
Barbara Pia Jenič is the artistic leader and director of Senzorium Institute and a theatre 
director, producer, actress. From 1996 to 2004, she was an actress in the Spanish group 
Teatro de los Sentidos, entering the world of sensorial theatre language and olfactory 
design under the artistic vision of E. Vargas. She has been developing the sensorial 
methodology for twenty years and applying its tools to theatre performances for the last 
decade. In her artistic opus, she bases her research on expressions of sensorial theatre 
language, develops the sensorial methodology for cultural heritage, galleries, museums 
and opera. She is the author of many theatre performances and events. 
barbara.pia@senzorium.com
102 The Art of Immersion with Smell and 
Sensorial Theatre Language
Barbara Pia Jenič 
Senzorium 
Igor Areh 
University of Maribor, Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security
Introduction
Barbara Pia Jenič joined the Teatro de los Sentidos (hereinafter TDLS) in 1996. 
Initially from Colombia, stationed in Spain and the first such theatre globally, it is 
a theatre of senses and experiences in which the visitor travels through the rooms. 
Actors/inhabitants guide the visitor through the event’s different scenes and involve 
him in sensory experience individually, interactively. As an actress in this theatre, 
Jenič was also responsible for designing the scents. She has collaborated with TDLS 
in more than three hundred performances at various European theatre festivals and 
other venues. Therefore, she designed scents for up to twenty characters and twenty-
five different scenes per show. She has been researching scents since 1999, later also 
within her Slovenia-based theatre structure, Senzorium.
In Senzorium’s performances until 2005, she initially repeated the learnt staging 
concept (according to the TDLS), that is, labyrinths made of fabric, through which the 
visitor passed in semi-darkness from scene to scene. The theatre curtains’ texture 
absorbed the prepared scents well, which persisted in the dark and narrow spaces 
for several hours. The scents deepened the individual experience, elicited visitors’ 
emotions and greatly influenced their well-being. Some visitors1 were evoked by 
forgotten memories or deep, sometimes undefined feelings and emotions that were 
sometimes difficult to control.
Due to the 2008 economic crisis and the consequent reduction of financial 
resources, the conditions for scenography, long-term rental of staging scenes and 
the implementation concept (which enabled the experience of intense odours) 
changed and deteriorated. The construction of labyrinths of cloth was abandoned, 
the individual relationship between the player and the visitor became public, and the 
application of scents required new solutions.
1Visitors’ statements are documented in the form of handwritten comments, kept by the Teatro de los Sentidos.
103Due to the changes affecting sensorial theatre, questions arose, such as how to 
maintain a personal relationship between the visitor and the actor and the effect 
of immersion in an open space; and how to achieve the immersion with the use of 
odours in a contemporary theatre performance. Before answering these questions, it 
may be essential to make sense of a sensory theatre experience. Not from the point 
of view of artistic or philosophical experiential subjectivity, but that of contemporary 
science. Is it possible to justify or explain the phenomenon of sensory theatre by 
scientific findings? Are there explanatory connections between sensory theatre and 
science? First, let us explain psychological immersion in theatrical performance from 
the perspective of science.
Psychological immersion in the theatrical performance
Research about psychological immersion in a simulated environment or fictional 
world is far from being scarce. However, the authors of this essay were unable to find 
any empirical or experimental studies of immersion related to sensorial theatre. The 
theme appears neglected in scientific research. Yet, some assumptions and insights 
into immersion in theatrical performance can be drawn from a close reading of the 
existing literature that deals with sensory and mental immersion in virtual reality.
Immersion is generally regarded as the experience of losing oneself in the artificial 
environment or fictional world while narrowing attention away from stimuli coming 
from the immediate physical outside world (Fox et al. 95–113; Schubert 161–187) 
of which awareness may even vanish. Immersion may be sensory or mental. Sensory 
immersion can be defined as the presence in virtual reality (Cummings et al. 272–
309), where perception is the primary cognitive process that influences the level of 
immersion. When a person is immersed in virtual reality, perception prevails, and 
imagination is expected to be reduced; otherwise, the sense of immersion fades. The 
intensity of immersion may be manipulated by stimulating perception to achieve the 
feeling of presence. The more exhaustive the virtual reality is, the greater the sense 
of presence.
Mental immersion is often explained as transportation or engagement into narratives, 
which may be found in books, sounds, music, movies, smells or other audio-visual 
material (Green and Donahue 241–256; Speidel 173–194). Transportation is cognitive 
and emotional absorption into a narrative, focusing mental (cognitive) abilities on the 
narrative’s plot or events (Greenwood and Long 637–654). Thus, it may be defined as 
a form of mental simulation of narrative possibilities (Green and Donahue 241–256). 
Narratives, such as in music, are used to alter and maintain our emotional states (Mar et 
al. 818–833, Juslin 131–140). Generally, explanations of narratives can induce the sense 
104 of immersion in a fictional world that is predominately produced by internal cognitive 
processes or abilities to create an imagined world by symbolic representations (Mangen 
404–419). Here, imagination is more important than perception, and attentional focus 
has to be maintained within imagination; otherwise, the sense of immersion is lost. The 
more possibilities a narrative offers, or the less elaborated or detailed it is, the more it 
stimulates the imagination. This leads to a more intense transfer into a narrative and 
to a more intense immersion (Green and Donahue 241–56), which is associated with 
heightened arousal and more intense emotions due to an experience of “proximity” 
(Lang et al. 97–135, Visch et al. 1439–1445).
In sensorial theatre, we can experience both types of immersion. One could even say 
that perhaps sensorial immersion is a hallmark and the original essence of sensorial 
theatre. First, it offers a novel experience that is quite different from an everyday one 
and subjective interpretation. The meaning of such an experience may be rationalised 
later, perhaps even after the end of a performance. In classical sensorial theatre, like 
in virtual reality, perception might prevail over imagination, which should be reduced; 
otherwise, immersion fades, and an important goal of the performance might be lost. 
When a narrative is involved in a sensorial performance, then mental immersion 
can also be experienced. However, with the narrative used, attention may be focused 
mainly on its plot, and sensorial impressions may be secondary or even neglected. 
Thus, a sensorial performance with a narrative is expected to be more challenging for 
performance creators. To achieve a performance’s goals, its creators must efficiently 
balance sensorial and mental immersion or create a balance between sensorial 
experiences and transportation into a narrative.
Vision as a dominant sense in theatre
Vision is often considered as the dominant, most essential and complex sense. The 
idea of visual dominance can be traced back to ancient Greece when Plato assigned 
divinity to vision and considered it as the higher sense along with audition. In 
contrast, other senses were less rational and more subjective lower senses bound 
to bodily reactions (Schellekens 734–743, Jütte and Lynn 61). Similarly, Aristotle 
ranked senses by putting vision first and then the other senses in the following order: 
hearing, smell, taste and touch (Jütte and Lynn 61). In the centuries that followed, 
vision was consistently rated as the highest sense in Western societies (Hutmacher 
2246). Therefore, philosophical influences seem possible but not the only reason for 
visual dominance.
A shift from oral/auditory to written/visual transfer of information is evident through 
history. Centuries ago, books were scarce, very few people were literate, knowledge 
105was mostly transmitted orally. Even contracts were mostly agreed upon verbally and 
not written; agreements were stored predominately in the verbal memories of those 
committed or interested. Then in the 15th century, the Gutenberg printing revolution 
happened. With printed books and other press, vision has become much more important 
in attaining information. There was a shift from hearing to sight, which became even 
more emphasised in the digital revolution in the latter half of the 20th century.
A similar shift may be perceived in the assigned importance of smell as well. Before 
modern history, more precisely before the 18th century, a pleasant smell was often 
strongly related to essence and spiritual truth and medical power. Meanwhile, the 
sight was often lowered to be superficial, revealing only exterior features of reality 
and having no such potency as assigned to good smells (Classen 96). Contrary, stench 
or putrid odour was associated with illness and evil dark forces (Muchembled and 
Pickford 90). Later in the 19th century, the belief in scents’ healing power faded away 
(Classen 40). The importance of smell became discounted by ideas such as Paul 
Broca’s belief that the evolution of free will required a reduction in the size of the 
brain’s olfactory bulb or the religious politics of the Catholic Church, which opposed 
the early scientific endeavour. Consequently, the myth that humans have a poor sense 
of smell was born (McGann 7263), and sight gained importance. 
In Western societies, a gradual rise of ideas related to the importance of sight might 
also be transferred into language. For example, when average frequencies of words 
per modality are examined in the English language, the frequency of visual words 
clearly prevails over words of other senses (Winter et al. 213–220). It appears that 
the origin of the dominance of sight can be explained by cultural/historical influences 
and by biological predispositions since people generally and foremost talk about 
their visual experiences and afterwards about what they hear, smell, taste and feel 
(San Roque et al. 31–60). However, the hierarchy of human senses – sight, hearing, 
touch, taste and smell – is not a universal reality across cultures. Cultures that place 
exceptional value on their musical heritage can more efficiently describe sounds; 
those involved in patterned pottery can communicate about shapes. Still, generally, 
people of all cultures find that smell is the most difficult to communicate (Majid et al. 
11369–11376).
The occurrence of photography, cinema, television, computers and smartphones 
slowly led to modern life taking place on screens. The everyday human experience 
is now more visual than ever before in history (Bekkers and Moody 189). Visual 
dominance has probably also shaped scientific research of human perception. In 
past decades, research on perception has been heavily focused on visual perception, 
neglecting other sensory modalities. This trend even seems accelerated in recent 
years (Hutmacher 2246), perhaps primarily by the development of digital technology, 
106 which creates the visual reality in which we live.
The added value of sensorial theatre is that it presents theatrical themes significantly 
different from what we are used to and offers participants a very different experience 
of reality. We are accustomed to visual images; we are so overwhelmed by them in our 
everyday lives that we often have difficulty differentiating the important from the less 
important. A remarkable turnaround happens in sensorial theatre. The flow of visual 
reality is suddenly muffled or even turned off. As the brain fills in the gaps caused by 
sensory deprivation, the often overlooked flow of auditory, tactile and olfactory reality 
is activated. The everyday visual reality disappears, and a new sensory experience turns 
up. Non-visual experiences overwhelm us just like the previous visual experiences.
Memories triggered by smells
It seems that conscious odour perception is not as crucial as vision or hearing, 
which are important communication channels. Namely, complete anosmia is often 
unnoticed, which is not the case in vision or hearing. Odours may have strong 
emotional and behavioural effects, such as attraction or repellence. However, most 
well-known and expected odours are not consciously observed and may only provide 
a sense of safety. Only new and unexpected odours that do not fit memory-based 
expectations are consciously remarked. In humans, olfactory memory helps to neglect 
known odours and react to unexpected or unknown ones. Thus, the memory of odour 
perception is most probably related to the warning system, which prevents the intake 
of possible harmful gasses and foods (Köster and Degel 9–11). Research shows that 
odours were not meant to be identified and embodied. For example, in perfume 
making, it is well known that most ingredients, such as musk, lose their effectiveness 
in a mixture if their concentration is so high that they can be noticed as a component 
(Ibid. 9). It appears that perception of odours is not intended to label them but rather 
unconsciously monitor our environment. It also allows us, as some kind of side effect, 
to recall distant memories.
The long-term autobiographical memory, as a part of episodic memory, enables 
humans to re-experience specific personal events from the past that are associated 
with feelings of mental time travel, a sense of self, awareness of the past and also 
reflections on past behaviour and feelings (Tulving 1–25). Among all senses, 
odours seem to trigger the most emotional and vivid memories. This finding may 
be associated with the observation that smell is a privileged sense for accessing 
memories since it has a substantial anatomical connection with memory structures 
(Saive et al. 240). While in early research, memories of odours are very stable over 
time, more recent research contradicts such belief (Olsson et al. 161–71). However, 
107humans can accurately recognise odours (Herz and Engen 300–313), but recognition 
performance heavily depends on context. The more odours we sense simultaneously, 
and the more similar they are, the lower the recognition accuracy (Schab 242–251). 
Further, odours are better recognised and memorised after elaborative cognitive 
processing, such as thinking of odours and situations, particularly after receiving 
information about the odour source or nature (Frank et al. 29–41). Odour-evoked 
memories are associated with stronger sensations of being brought back in time 
(Arshamian et al. 123–131). Still, we tend to talk and think less about them than 
memories recalled by visual or verbal stimuli (Rubin et al. 493).
The reminiscence bump of autobiographical memory reflects reports of memories 
from ten to thirty years of age that would usually be forgotten (Koppel and Berntsen 
66–80). While pictures, sounds or words reproduce reminiscence bumps in 
adolescence and early adulthood, odours frequently recall memories from childhood, 
precisely from the first decade of life (Hackländer et al. 401–429). The late finding is 
expected in the so-called Proust phenomenon (Chu and Downes 111–116) and the 
discovery that odours evoke more vivid, emotional and rarer memories than those 
recalled by other sensorial stimuli (Larsson et al. 312). This phenomenon is not well 
explained and researched; therefore, some controversies exist, such as doubts that 
odour-evoked memories are more vivid than others and the most effective cues for 
triggering autobiographical memories (Herz 95–114). Namely, recent research offers 
only weak support for the assumption that odour-evoked memories are notably vivid 
(Hackländer et al. 401–429). 
In most cases, it was suggested that the olfactory memory bump might be associated 
with unique characteristics of the olfactory sense. Unlike other sensory systems, 
the olfactory system in mammals is part of the limbic system and has direct neural 
projection to the amygdala. It is closely related to the hippocampal regions, and it lacks 
a thalamic relay between initial core structures and the primary sensory cortex (Wilson 
and Stevenson 40). Accordingly, olfaction is a sense of first impressions, which allows 
first odour-to-object and not sound-to-object associations to be formed; therefore, 
earliest life experiences might be favoured over experiences of other senses (Yeshurun 
et al. 1869–74). But this is not the only possible explanation why odours may provoke 
specific memories. We are consciously aware mostly of novel odours but not of those 
already experienced. Odours are not easily noticed after the first experience. Therefore, 
the first memorised impressions associated with odours are not replaced by later 
events involving the same odours. This reason might be why we experience the bump 
into long-term childhood memories (Köster and Degel 10). Yet, recall of odour-evoked 
memories is relatively rare because odours might be more specific than other sensorial 
information and thus match fewer mental representations, which probably explains the 
108 rarity of odour-evoked memories (Larsson et al. 312).
The beliefs that odours influence human behaviour and implicit memory are widely 
accepted, despite the lack of scientific proof, most evident in aromatherapy (Degel 
and Köster 317). Nevertheless, odours may still be welcome in sensorial theatre 
since people often respond to them as expected by performance creators. There is 
no reason to wait for answers science will bring. People do not need science to enjoy 
theatre. Beliefs, emotions and sensory experiences are often more powerful, inspiring 
and lasting essence of life than scientific findings.
Recent developments in sensorial theatre
At the end of the introduction to the essay, the question was raised on how to achieve 
the effects of sensory language and immersion with odours in a modern stage 
performance. Several different performing procedures may lead to answers:
1. Open spaces, an audience with blindfolds
To achieve the effects of odours in labyrinths, Jenič changed the external labyrinths into 
internal ones. She decided to put blindfolds on the eyes of participants, thus eliminating 
the predominant power of vision. Odour perception in such forms depends on the 
method of application to the atmosphere and the stage elements. Jenič used this method 
in several sensory performances.2 According to her observations, visitors perceived 
sensory impulses in the following order: when vision is switched off, touch becomes 
the essential sense, followed by sound, smell and taste. Interestingly, according to these 
experiences, it may be inferred that the hierarchy of senses, such as sight, hearing, 
smell, taste, touch, as assumed by Aristotle (Jütte and Lynn 61), may not be valid in the 
context of the sensorial theatre. It would be interesting to examine this hypothetical 
hierarchy of senses. Perhaps future discoveries can offer new possibilities and more in-
depth experiences for participants of sensorial performances.
2. Odours as an invisible part of visual art
With the visual installation of Sensorial soundscapes at MGLC3 in 2014, Jenič studied 
the influence of smell and sound on visible sensing and perception. Visitors smelled 
2 Being or Having [Biti ali imeti] (2005), Unveiling [Odstiranja] (2006), In vino veritas? (2008), Waterman [Povodni mož] 
(2013), Smells of Emona [Vonjave Emone] (2014), Hotel Tivoli between Memories and Dreams [Hotel Tivoli med spomini in 
sanjami] (2018), Divine Comedy [Božanska komedija] (2019).
3 International Centre of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana.
109different odours and listened to different sounds while observing the exhibited graphic 
images. The public wrote down the contents of the observed graphic works on the 
prepared forms, combining different sounds and smells.4 The exhibition confirmed 
the assumptions that sound and smell affect the way the visual target is perceived. 
This effect was also noticed in the project Future Promise Park (2017) by Korean artist 
Moon Kyungwoon who presented her video installation at the 32nd International 
Biennial of Graphic Arts at MGLC. The artist created an invisible part of the park in the 
form of scents. The findings that odours may influence visual perception have further 
motivated Jenič to use smells in stage performances.
3. The invisible part of auditory presentations
The project Lalabajke, first presented in 2011 as part of the international Generosity 
project, combines a narrative, sound and smells. When reading the story in semi-
darkness, the listener does not see the reader and focuses on the sound and smells, as 
he is not occupied with visual impressions. Some5 visitors completed a survey6 on the 
impact of scents on their immersion into the story. Among fifteen participants, 80% 
of them answered that smell has a positive effect on the event. Approximately 90% 
said that semi-darkness deepens the experience of smells. Half of them answered 
that the smells were most influential when asked how strongly they experienced 
immersion in the story. At the same time, about 85% responded that the darkness 
mainly influenced the immersion, then the story itself and the narrator’s voice. More 
than 70% of them thought that the smell created the story’s atmosphere. Almost 
90% of the visitors agreed that smells could be more common in the theatre and 
when presenting stories. Due to the small number of participants, further research is 
needed to generalise these findings.
4. Theatre performances
As suggested by Erica Fisher-Lichte (192), the use of smell is a rarely discussed 
element in performances. She is surprised at how little attention has been paid to 
theatre scents so far, as “odour is undoubtedly one of the most powerful effective 
components of the atmosphere” (Ibid. 194).
The historical importance of odours in public events is evident in many sources of 
4 The exhibition at MGLC was set up one year before London’s Tate Sensorium won the 2015 IK PRIZE.
5 Those who consented to the survey left their email address and answered all the questions.
6 The survey was completed by visitors of Lalabajke on 14 May 2016 and 21 April 2017 at the Trubar House of Literature. 
It was of a pilot nature, so it would be good to do more extensive research on this topic with a larger number of participants 
and over an even longer period of time.
110 literature, such as:
The beginnings of Western theatre in ancient Greek festivals like the Eleusinian 
mysteries (in modern times considered the prototype of the modern Gesamtkunstwerk) 
were suffused with intense aromas of all kinds: including fruit, floral, grain, and animal 
offerings; blood and burning animal flesh; wine, honey, and oil libations; and the burning 
of incense and other material in sacred fires (Burkert 1985). In our times, the use of 
incense in Catholic churches constitutes a diminished survival of the ritual use of smell 
in religious performances. Scented theatre programs and perfume fountains were only 
two of the nineteenth-century olfactory devices in Western theatres (Haill 1987), but 
during most of the twentieth century, the “fourth wall conventions of realism generally 
divided the spectator from the mainstream stage and permitted only sight and sound to 
cross its divide (Banes and Lepecki 29).
In ancient times, various odours were used for sporting events and artistic 
performances to scent both actors and audiences (Classen 26). For example, the scent 
of saffron was often used for the audience. Its effects have not yet been researched, 
but interestingly, they are mentioned on some online sources as very soothing, even 
narcotic (CaFleureBon). Therefore, it could be assumed that with saffron and other 
scents, the organisers have tried to induce the well-being of the audience and the 
perception of the event. “Putting on a good show in antiquity, therefore, involved 
putting out a good scent” (Classen 26). 
Fischer-Lichte also states that the smell in theatre is difficult to control, as it cannot be 
turned on and off like sound and light (192). However, it can still be used, as Barbara 
Pia Jenič has proven through her performative experiments over the last decade. 
Barbara Pia Jenič first tried using scents on stage in 2009 in performances Evening 
with Mila Kačič (Večer z Milo Kačič, 2009–2011), You Find Me in Everything (V vsem 
me najdeš, 2012), Cro Magnon (2013), Gothic Windows (Gotska okna, 2014). In these 
cases, a one-time spray of scents around the audience and stage was applied. Due to 
strong audio-visual impressions, the audience was not aware of the smells. Most of 
them had not perceived or commented on them, which led the author to conclude that 
it is necessary to change the methodology of introducing scents to the stage, perhaps 
to weave the scent into a more appropriate context and give it time and space to 
develop and spread.
5. Opera
In 2015, fragrances were presented in Svetlana Makarovič’s operatorium The Tenth 
Daughter (Deseta hči) at the SNG Opera and Ballet in Ljubljana. Smells were also 
noticed by the critic of the newspaper Delo, Borut Smrekar, but not to the extent and 
111scope as Jenič expected. Criticism also proves that smells, as Fischer-Lichte states, are 
always present in the theatre by themselves.
6. Drama theatre
In the performance The Wonderful New World (Krasni novi svet) by Barbara Pia Jenič 
inspired by Aldous Huxley in SNG Drama (2017), scent was sprayed on the audience in 
the substantive context of the clones’ conditioning. The audience perceived the context 
in the desired way and also accepted it with affection, but the critics did not attach 
any importance to this novelty. In 2018, a scent was used for the first time at Prešeren 
Theatre Kranj using the method of sensorial theatre language in the performance of 
Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet (Prerok). The scents were thoughtfully directed, dressed 
in context and applied so that their time and space could resonate. As critic Ivana Zajc 
wrote, “the show melts in the body” (11). Gregor Butala described it as “a fusion of 
the textual and the sensory into a harmonious, complementary entity” (Butala). These 
reviews may indicate that the purpose of odours, as described in the introductory part 
of this paper, was achieved. The same sensory procedures for applying scents were used 
in the performance Scented Secrets (Dišeče skrivnosti)7, allowing a complete immersion 
into what is happening on stage, as was the custom in antiquity.
Conclusion
Sensory experiences represent only a partial source of the overwhelming feelings 
induced by a sensorial performance. It may well be that another essential source of 
excitement and personal immersion comes from overcoming anxiety. In sensorial 
performance, a participating audience member may blindly surrender to an unknown 
person, leading them through a novel experience almost without visible information. 
Thus, the participating audience gives up much of their control over reality. As 
members of the participating audience, we give up the comfort of the situation’s 
predictability. We dare to do what we otherwise avoid because we fear unpleasant or 
painful consequences. In a sensorial performance, we are suddenly in control of what 
usually controls us – anxiety. And that is not all the magic. Despite surrender, nothing 
terrible happens, quite the opposite; we are safely taken into the unknown, and we 
come out of it with a different, albeit short-lived, awareness of our existence. We have 
experienced a different reality that can be seen as life encouragement coming from 
overcoming anxiety. Even the reality of dreams cannot be as relaxing and pervasive as 
the reality of sensory performance.
7 Performance at the Slovene Permanent Theatre in Trieste, co-production Senzorium and UL AGRFT, première in October 2021.
112 In sensorial performance, the impact of smell on participants’ experience may 
be noticeable and a key factor that directs quality and depth of experience. Smell 
perception is weaker or insignificant for visitors when they receive visual information 
with their eyes open. The only exceptions are extremely strong negative or positive 
odours. Scents applied thoughtfully can significantly contribute to the more profound 
understanding of individual experiences, images, spaces and situations. The use of 
scents in theatre and art can open up new possibilities for presentation and delve 
into events. The scent creates an atmosphere, opens up the inner imagination and 
emotions of the audience. Therefore, if we know how to use it properly, the scent 
can sharpen and deepen the immersion into theatrical performance. The hierarchies 
of perceptions or senses in theatre deserve more attention and additional research 
that could show the significance of the role and power of thoughtfully used sensorial 
experiences in theatre.
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118
V zadnjem času je opaziti trend oz. potrebo po doživetju učinka potopitve v dogajanje na 
področju gledališča, drugih vej umetnosti in turizma v vsakdanjem poslovnem in zasebnem 
življenju. Vajeni smo avdiovizualnega sporočanja, ki je že od razsvetljenstva prevladujoč 
kanal za predajanje sporočil, vsi drugi čuti so postali manj pomembni.
Skoraj do srede prejšnjega stoletja voh ni imel vidnejše vloge v gledaliških praksah, 
pomembnejši čuti so prevzeli mesto sporočanja in uprizarjanja. Tu pa tam se je vonj priplazil 
v prostor kot opazen rekvizit, vedno zelo pazljivo, saj ga po besedah strokovnjakov ni 
mogoče nadzorovati kot zvok in luč. Pozabili pa smo, da ima vonj, še posebej v kombinaciji 
z zvokom, lahko močan čustveni vpliv na obiskovalca oz. naslovnika. Tako kot drugi čuti 
tudi vonj poustvarja kontekst spominov in lahko prikliče intenzivno podoživljanje čustev ter 
dogodkov. Lahko tudi izzove ponovno vrednotenje ali prevrednotenje preteklosti in s tem 
vpliva na dojemanje sedanjosti. Resničnost dojemamo s prilagajanjem čutnih občutkov, 
ki se izoblikujejo in interpretirajo pod vplivom preteklih izkušenj. Izkušnje ustvarjajo 
pričakovanja, ta pa našo vedno subjektivno realnost, tako v vsakdanjem življenju kot v 
gledališču, še posebej pa je to opazno v senzorialnem gledališču.
V zadnjem desetletju je prisotno prizadevanje, da bi vonje in druga orodja senzorialnega 
gledališča vrnili na oder, saj so bili, sodeč po tujih virih, pomemben del dogodkov že v 
antiki. Tako lahko oder obogatimo z dodatno dimenzijo sporočanja in izražanja. V prispevku 
so predstavljene različne metode in poskusi uporabe vonja in drugih orodij senzorialnega 
gledališča, pri čemer se njihova učinkovitost ovrednoti s perspektive uprizoritvenih 
umetnosti in psihološke znanosti.
Ključne besede: senzorialno gledališče, zaznavanje resničnosti, psihološka potopitev, vonj, 
spomini
119
Dr. Igor Areh je izredni profesor za psihologijo na Fakulteti za varnostne vede Univerze 
v Mariboru. Njegova predavanja in raziskave so v glavnem osredotočene na pridobivanje 
informacij od prič, žrtev in osumljencev. Leta 2008 je doktoriral z raziskavo o razlikah 
med spoloma v pričanju očividcev kaznivih dejanj. Objavil je več kot 90 člankov in drugih 
publikacij s področja forenzične psihologije, npr. problematika pristranskosti in zaznavanje 
ter spominjanje očividcev kaznivih dejanj in nesreč. V praksi deluje kot svetovalec pri 
preiskovanju kaznivih dejanj in sodni izvedenec. Kot gostujoči predavatelj je opravil več 
predavanj na univerzah v Veliki Britaniji, Franciji in Španiji.
Barbara Pia Jenič je umetniška vodja in direktorica zavoda Senzorium, režiserka, 
producentka, igralka. Med letoma 1996 in 2004 je kot igralka španskega gledališča Teatro 
de los Sentidos pod režisersko taktirko E. Vargasa vstopila v svet senzorialnega gledališča 
in oblikovanja vonjav. Senzorialno metodologijo na različne načine razvija v Sloveniji že 
dvajset let, njena orodja pa zadnje desetletje aplicira tudi na odrske uprizoritve. V svojem 
avtorskem opusu utemeljuje in raziskuje različne izraze senzorialnega gledališkega jezika 
ter razvija senzorialno metodologijo tudi za področje kulturne dediščine, za galerije, muzeje 
in za opero. Režirala je že 68 predstav ter oblikovala vonje za 53 projektov doma in v tujini.
barbara.pia@senzorium.com