This segmented radial convergence diagram can be used to facilitate interrogation of how smell vocabularies are shared between different classification systems.

Using words from 5 disciplines combined with human-perceived smells verbatim (from one of my site-specific research projects smellwalking and smellmapping in Pamplona) the diagram suggests how the smells might be categorised according to specialist aroma wheels and classification systems. Cross-referencing expert olfactory terminologies from different disciplines reveals a complexity and confusion in labelling smells, leaves some smells without ‘homes’ and indicates a need for alternative strategies when representing the urban vernacular smellscape.

When an intimacy occurs between “subject” and “object”, it must surely be the world of smell and the places they reside’ (Lefebvre, 1991 p.197). A smellwalk around a single Brooklyn block explored this experience of immediacy and transfer between the apparently brave (sniffer) and seeming unpalatable (trash can) to discover the unexpected odour (minty gum).

Smellsketch Brooklyn is an allusive smell colour sketch with verbatim descriptions from a single block smellwalk in September 2014. The block was chosen by local residents as representative of re-zoning and ‘typical’ in the neighbourhood.

City smells provide an insight into the make-up of a neighborhood; the smells indicating a “meshwork of entangled lines of life, growth and movement” mingle as a “texture of interwoven threads” Ingold, 2010).

Thresholds explores the doorways, portals and spaces between the street and building interiors. There are distinct “street smells”, specific “store smells”, and a range of “shared smells” that belong neither inside nor outside – a warm wood, green leafy volatiles of the floristry stores, shared bakery aromas crossing an imaginary divide of a large serving-hatch open window. The strongest smells were old fish on W 10th, watermelon / strawberry in the Scandinavian candy store on Christopher, intense leather and rubber from the fetish shop. The richest combination of smells were located on street corners where humans, activity and winds intersect.

This map forms part of a series of New York City block maps completed over a number of years.

Spring 2013 in Amsterdam revealed an abundance of the warm, sugary, powdery sweetness of waffles. Oriental spices emanated from Asian and Surinamese restaurants and supermarkets, pickled herring from the herring stands and markets – a link to one of the city’s key historical industries. Old books were detected in basement doorways and laundry aromas drifted up into the streets from Amsterdam’s many house hotels.

This data visualisation is exploratory. It is a tool for rendering the city as a playground to explore by foregrounding smell over over sensory modalities by following a sequence of smell narratives across the city. Walk the trail for real if you are there. And if you cannot be in Paris let the smell notes (of a range of associative smell memories) and the locations generate olfactory images of classic Parisian scents, smells and aromas in micro-narrative form.

Still at prototype stage this Virtual Smellwalk of Paris currently features just three smell walks around the city out of a possible total of 8.7 x 10^9.

The sun also took care of all smells. I don’t remember any smells. Or only the smell of the spent hand-flare shells. They smelled like cumin. Did I mention that?

I remember the smell of the spent hand-flare shells. By some freak of nature they smelled exactly like cumin. It was intoxicating. I sniffed the plastic shells and immediately Pondicherry came to life in my mind, a marvellous relief from the disappointment of calling for relief and not being heard. The experience was very strong, nearly a hallucination. From a single smell a whole town arose. (Now when I smell cumin, I see the Pacific Ocean.)”

– Martel, Y (2003) The Life of Pi p. 238 Edinburgh. Canongate

Glasgow’s scents are of movement, of reinvention, of rebuilding, of regeneration. A city of renewal. Researched with contributions from author Michael Meighan (author of “Glasgow Smells” and “Glasgow Smells Better”) as well as commuters, residents, workers, tourists, the Glasgow City council.

As an interactive exhibition the map is designed with bottled smells, blank maps of the city and coloured dots to designate new sites of smell interest.