Access to Sensory / Olfactory Information

Where to start and what to read.

When I give presentations, I am often asked to provide supporting literature that further educates on the senses and their role in the museum. Since I have compiled this list of literature and resources a few times, I decided to publish it here so it is accessible and can be broadly shared.

Did I miss something? Do not hesitate to send me an email at thesensesationalexplorer@gmail.com.

Where to start?

The Odeuropa Project:

The Odeuropa project made a huge contribution to the field of multisensory museology. Odeuropa’s Olfactory Storytelling Toolkit: A ‘How-To’ Guide for Working with Smells in GLAMs and Heritage Institutions makes big steps forward in outlining the best practices and methodologies for using smells in the museum and beyond. This resource is a great place to start if you are looking to broaden your understanding of olfactory storytelling and it is free and available to access online in seconds. Although the resource is specifically for the sense of smell, I would argue that many aspects are relevant to the other senses and their applicability to museum curation and education.

Did you know that the Olfactory Storytelling Toolkit also comes with 11 free resources created specifically to help you integrate olfactory storytelling into your own practice? These resources offer clear instructions for olfactory storytelling processes, from how to brief a perfumer on a historic scent, to evaluating that scent for its effectivity, to how to design an olfactory guided tour.

I also think that many forget that Odeuropa was a publicly funded project and therefore, much of the research conducted was formally reported to the EU via public deliverables. These deliverables provide key insights for olfactory heritage research and a great place to start if you are interested in the topic. Many of Odeuropa's deliverables are available to read here. 

Other resources:

The Smell Podcast: Hosted by Katie Boeteng, this podcast focuses on raising awareness around anosmia and other forms of chemosensory dysfunction.

Perfume on the Radio: Hosted by the Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles, this podcast is a treasure trove for all smell and taste enthusiasts. The podcast features a variety of guests and speakers from all areas of expertise and is a fun and innovative way to delve into the world of smell and perfumery.

The Internet of Senses Institute Podcast: Hosted by a variety of sensory researchers, this podcast features thought leaders and innovators working with all five classic senses: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell.

Education:

The Institute for Art and Olfaction, Los Angeles: The IAO offers a variety of classes to educate about perfumery and other topics related to smell (and sometimes taste). Much of their programming is online, making it accessible internationally. You can find more information about their upcoming classes here. I also love the IAO’s page for “Like-Minded Organizations,” which can help you find organizations around the world dedicated to sensory education.

The Tisserand Institute: The Tisserand Institution offers online, evidence-based, aromatherapy training. Their programming includes classes about aromatic chemistry and safety.

Senses Based Learning: A project dedicated to compiling all educational projects that are dedicated to gaining knowledge of the senses, through our senses. This valuable resource offers inspiration for others who would like to design their own multisensory curricula.

What to read?

Below is a curated list of literature that focuses specifically on topics of olfactory heritage, olfactory museology and sensory curation in the museum:

Aggleton, John P., and Louise Waskett. "The ability of odours to serve as state‐dependent cues for real‐world memories: Can Viking smells aid the recall of Viking experiences?" British Journal of Psychology, 90.1, 1999, pp. 1-7, https://doi.org/10.1348/000712699161170.

Bembibre, Cecilia. "Archiving the intangible: preserving smells, historic perfumes and other ways of approaching the scented past." The Smells and Senses of Antiquity in the Modern Imagination, 2021, pp. 155-73. Book available here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/smells-and-senses-of-antiquity-in-the-modern-imagination-9781350251632/

Bembibre, Cecilia. "Archiving the intangible: preserving smells, historic perfumes and other ways of approaching the scented past." The Smells and Senses of Antiquity in the Modern Imagination, 2021, pp. 155-73.

Bembibre, Cecilia, Inger Leemans, Sophie Elpers et al. “The Olfactory Heritage Toolkit.” Zenodo Odeuropa, 28 Feb. 2024, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10775277

Bembibre, Cecilia, and Matija Strlič. "Smell of heritage: a framework for the identification, analysis and archival of historic odours." Heritage Science 5, 2017, pp. 1-11.

Bembibre, Cecilia, and Matija Strlič. “Odeuropa Deliverable D6.1 Guidelines on the use of smells in GLAMs.” Odeuropa, 2021.

Bembibre, Cecilia, and Matija Strlič. “Preserving historic smells: The question of authenticity.” In Mediality of Smells, ed. Jean-Alexandre Perras and Erika Wicky, Oxford, 2021.

Bembibre, Cecilia, and Matija Strlič. "From smelly buildings to the scented past: an overview of olfactory heritage." Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718287.

Chazot, Isabelle Reynaud, Alice Camus, Sophie-Valentine Borloz et al. "THE NOMEN PROJECT Classification of fragrant compositions for historical purposes." HAL Open Science, 2023. AVAILABLE HERE: https://hal.science/hal-04158225

Classen, Constance. "Museum manners: The sensory life of the early museum." Journal of social history (2007): 895-914.

Constance Classen, David Howes, Anthony Synnott, Chapter 5: Odour and power: the politics of smell from Aroma the cultural history of smell (1994). pp 161-179.

Drobnick, Jim. "Volatile effects: Olfactory dimensions in art and architecture.” Berg, 2005, pp. 265–280.

Eardley, Alison F., Claire Dobbin, Joselia Neves et al. "Hands-on, shoes-off: multisensory tools enhance family engagement within an art museum." Visitor Studies, 21.1, 2018, pp. 79-97, https://doi.org/10.1080/10645578.2018.1503873. 

Ehrich, Sofia Collette, and Inger Leemans. “Odeuropa Deliverable D7.2 Impact Activities Report Y1.” Odeuropa, 2021. AVAILABLE HERE: https://odeuropa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/D7_2_Impact_Activities_Report_Y1.pdf.

Ehrich, Sofia Collette, and Inger Leemans. “Odeuropa Deliverable D7.3 Impact Activities Report Y2,” Odeuropa, 2022. AVAILABLE HERE: https://odeuropa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Draft_D7_3_Impact_Activities_Report_Y2.pdf.

Ehrich, Sofia Collette, and Inger Leemans. “Odeuropa Deliverable D7.4 The Olfactory Storytelling Toolkit.” Odeuropa, 2023, AVAILABLE HERE: https://odeuropa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Draft_D7_4_Olfactory_Storytelling__Toolkit_rev.pdf.

Ehrich, Sofia Collette, Inger Leemans, Cecilia Bembibre et al. “Olfactory Storytelling Toolkit: A ‘How-To Guide for Working with Smells in Museums and Heritage Institutions.” Odeuropa, 13 Nov. 2023, AVAILABLE HERE: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10254737.

Leemans, Inger, William Tullett, Cecilia Bembibre et al. "Whiffstory: Using Multidisciplinary Methods to Represent the Olfactory Past." The American Historical Review, 127.2, 2022, pp. 849-879, https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/rhac159. AVAILABLE HERE: https://research.vu.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/221554457/Whiffstory_Using_Multidisciplinary_Methods_to_Represent_the_Olfactory_Past.pdf

Levent, Nina, and Alvaro Pascual-Leone. The Multisensory Museum: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Touch, Sound, Smell, Memory, and Space. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.

Marx, Lizzie, Sofia Collette Ehrich, William Tullett et al. "Making Whiffstory: A Contemporary Re-creation of an Early Modern Scent for Perfumed Gloves." The American Historical Review, 127.2, 2022, pp. 881-893, https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/rhac150. AVAILABLE HERE: https://research.vu.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/221553739/Making_Whiffstory_A_Contemporary_Re_creation_of_an_Early_Modern_Scent_for_Perfumed_Gloves.pdf

Verbeek, Caro, Inger Leemans, and Bernardo Fleming. "How can scents enhance the impact of guided museum tours? Towards an impact approach for olfactory museology." The Senses and Society, 17.3, 2022, pp. 315-342, AVAILABLE HERE: https://doi.org/10.1080/17458927.2022.2142012.

Verbeek, Caro, and Cretien Van Campen. "Inhaling memories: Smell and taste memories in art, science, and practice." The Senses and Society 8.2 (2013): 133-148.

Verbeek, Caro. "Presenting Volatile Heritage: Two Case Studies on Olfactory Reconstructions in the Museum." Future Anterior: Journal of Historic Preservation, History, Theory, and Criticism, 13.2, 2016, pp. 33-42, https://doi.org/10.5749/futuante.13.2.0033.