Archive of Lost and Future Smells

Archive of Lost and Future Smells

Cemre Kara

Profession
Designer
Project
Archive of Lost and Future Smells
Based in
Netherlands
Platform Member
Pakhuis de Zwijger
Works at
-
Website
Instagram

Archive of Lost and Future Smells

About the project

The work explores urban design and climate crises concerning communities’ sensory perceptions, specifically focusing on the sense of smell. It evokes the idea of ​​​​​​imagining the smells of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The research involves gathering materials from various urban and suburban locations, using walking as a method to explore and understand the surrounding scents. These materials are then distilled to create a physical archive and serve as tools for performative outcomes, offering insights into the city’s environmental and cultural fabric.

The project’s methodology involves exploring urban and suburban areas through walking, using gamification as a tool to gather sensory data on scents. This approach emphasizes the role of smell in interpreting environmental and cultural dynamics. The gamified experience aims to spark open discussions, starting with how we perceive specific scents and how those perceptions are shaped.

 

Smell of moss being tinctured

About the project’s approach

‘Archives of Lost and Future Smells’ embraces principles of sustainable, collaborative, and open design practices, fostering discussion and reflection on the olfactory aspects of our daily lives and our involvement in city planning for the future. It underscores the profound impact of environmental changes on our daily lives and cultural and natural heritage.

Group of guests are playing the board game presented in June at Jan van Eyck Academie, Maastricht

About the designer

Cemre Kara is a sensory designer and performance artist from Turkey who graduated from the Artscience Interfaculty at The Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, Netherlands. Her work spans various mediums, including performances, audiovisual experiences, and design. Through her immersive projects and performances, she explores the social dimensions of sensory perception in everyday life.