Sensoria: “Hungry Eyes” Combines Images with Sound and Scent

© Foto: Ellis Parrinder (eap) With “Hungry Eyes – Smelling, Hearing and Feeling Food Photography”, Sensoria – Haus der Düfte und Aromen (Engl. “House of Scents and Aromas”) in Holzminden, Germany, will open a new special exhibition on April 25, 2026, aiming to make food photography a multi-sensory experience. The exhibition centers on works by British photographer Ellis Parrinder.

At Sensoria, the photographs are staged as a sensory journey of discovery: images become “smellable”, are accompanied by soundscapes and can be experienced haptically. Intense colors, along with humorous and surprising perspectives, are intended to offer a new way of perceiving food. “I am fascinated by color – both harmonious color combinations and deliberate contrasts. I am constantly trying to push the boundaries of how people expect a subject to be photographed. However, I always ensure that the food looks perfect, so that viewers can imagine how it tastes and smells,” explains Parrinder.

Ellis Parrinder © Foto: Matthew Buchanan The olfactory elements are contributed by Symrise AG, based in Holzminden, which provides the various scents for the exhibition, while the scenting technology in Sensoria is from Magic Box. The interplay of seeing, hearing, smelling and touching is intended to redefine photography as a medium.

“Hungry Eyes” will be on display at Sensoria until October 31, 2026. More about the House of Scents and Flavors can be found in the cover story of EAP issue 6/2024. ■