A mandarin, an old book and a piece of paper. Sensory Ethnography A mandarin, an old book and a piece of paper.

Mandarin The thick protective skin sits above the fruit it holds inside , it’s easy to break without harming the delicate mandarin underneath.  The thick skin is lined with white pith which travels down the centre of the mandarin and disperses around the fruit resting in lines like fragile roots attaching the fruit gently to the skin. The moment you pierce the skin the zesty fresh scent is released.  Will you peel it in one go? Or in piece’s? Pick off the pith? Or leave it? How will you un-wrap it before you enjoy the taste? What if a segment is given to you? Does it taste better with not having  unpeeled it yourself? See: Orange, shine, shades of orange inside, light on the segments, orange shining pouches of juice. Smell: fresh, summer, tangy, zest Touch: smooth, small indentations, soft, sticky, juicy Taste: zesty, sweet and juicy 

Paper This demonstrates the various experiences with fiddling with the three pieces of paper at different times in the day. The first is the rolled paper at midday, second is folded in the afternoon and third is screwed up in the evening.  (1) Straight and flat it whips the air as it’s picked up. Twist’s and turns. Time passes you feel it in your hands, attentions diverted. Fold, fold, fold, fold. Unfold. Roll at the corners, roll into a tight scroll. Tap. It’s sounds has changed. (2) Straight and flat it whips the air as it’s picked up. Twist’s and turns. Time passes you feel it in your hands, it’s smooth. You want to change it. Fold, fold, crease, creating pleats that fan out, giving it a new surface. Its surface has changed.  (3) Straight and flat it whips the air as it’s picked up. Twist’s and turns. Time passes. You feel it in your hand as your fist tightens around it. Scrunch, scrunch, instantly changing it’s sound, it’s texture and shape. 

Old Book’s The bookshop of used books is silent, no loud advertisements maybe just one sign. We step into a world of categories, a shop filled with shelves, shelves filled with ideas and stories waiting to be read again or for the first time. Opinions and tales of people silenced behind fading covers, as a customer in the shop we feel invited to take time to explore and search for gems, for books with ideas and stories we wish to read.  Old books are autumn leaves scattered, crowding space each leaf part of a colourful collection. Dry crisp pages forgotten, they wait for hand then mind to connect to the page, ideas and stories can be revealed from within the fragile frame.  Rugged page edges and worn spine plead to be treated with care by human hands. The scent of the pages is deep as if it has soaked up all the richness of its surroundings; the warmth of a hearth as they sat and read, the richness of coffee as he studied and pondered it’s ideas through the night.