Towards a Visual Voice for Smells

Abstract

Smells are whimsical creatures. As errant hitchhikers of rides on air currents, they appear to defy being tied to a location, yet our nuanced perception of olfactory knowledge is often linked with place.

My work considers smells as entities and speculates on their patterns of movement and their interactions. Smell is under-represented in the Western world. In order to raise awareness about the value of understanding “smell,” my research seeks strategies by which we can share and explore the everyday odours within both local and exotic urban smellscapes.

This article traces the exploration of global cities through the noses of local inhabitants, and uses map-making as a means of communication; whilst also exploring my personal motivation for undertaking this research.

As a graphic designer, I utilise the design process as a methodology; each new piece of work is an iteration on a previous piece.

Smellscape maps use “ex-formation” as a communication design method to render the seemingly “known” as “unknown” so as to encourage discussion and dispute over the possibility of mapping smells and to encourage experiential learning in situ through personal experience. To sniff is to know.

Keywords

Smellscape Mapping / Sensory Knowledge / Olfactory Representation / Ex-formation

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2016 Higher Education Press