Scented Life
2024Scented Life explores the relevance of smell to human life and the nuances of olfactory perception. Although scent carries essential information about our bodies and surroundings, it is often overlooked in contemporary culture.
The project takes the form of a book and installation featuring four fragrances representing significant olfactory moments from human life. These fragrances are translated into sound through two different approaches, exploring the relationship between smell and hearing. The first method draws on Luca Turin’s Vibrational Theory of Olfaction. Taking the theory as a speculative starting point, the molecular vibrations of the raw materials used in the fragrances were converted into audible sine waves, creating a sonic translation of their molecular structures.
The second method explores the more subjective relationship between smell and sound. In collaboration with musician Margarida Alves Gato, the fragrances were interpreted through sound based on her individual sensory impressions of each scent. Together, these two approaches explore how an intangible sensory experience can be translated into another medium, questioning where the boundaries between our senses begin and end.
Soundscape
This soundscape, composed by the talented musicians Margarida Alves Gato and Caetano, is a translation of four fragrances. The composition considers the complexity and difficulty of describing odours in words and seeks different ways of communicating olfactory impressions: one less imbued with cultural constraints and another that acknowledges our cultural biases.