Sniffing Out the Differences

year: 2017

project was funded with a grant from Prince Claus Fund

tags: Interactive installation, Olfactory Interface, xenophobia, culture, South Asia, storytelling

Sniffing out the Differences is a series of interactive installations. It explores tales and olfactory associations in South Asian cultures from the past, present, and future. The series illustrates how identities and cultures emerge with mobility, and new distinct patterns get formed.

The series is a dialogue between our multiple identities in today’s globalized world, with the identities articulated in smell and pattern visualizations. Furthermore, it questions the issue of xenophobia and biases, all with the help of smell. The goal is to invite the audience to make sense of culture by experiencing and interacting with it through its distinct smells.

1
Jallianwala Bagh

When humans undergo traumatic experiences it leads them to catharsis and often with this they forge a new identity. Jallianwala Bagh, a massacre, a tragic event that shook every human and particularly the people under the Raj. Its aftermath was that it led them to question their identity which fueled the national freedom struggle. This interactive installation explores this historical narrative and remediates the story through smell and portrays the trauma felt by people. It shows how people in power reduce others and strip them off their personhood. By retelling this narrative it draws a parallel and wonders about similar events in current times. It further lets the audience experience how design plays an important role today in creating strong narratives for change focusing on olfaction and sound in particular.

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2
Identity Stories

This installation showed how the identities and culture of everyday Indians emerge through inclusion rather than exclusion. It traces the lives of two protagonists, Supreeti and Vivek, to understand how their changing environment influenced their worldviews. Each memory has a scent associated with it. Visitors lean into large megaphone-like structures mounted on a wall to listen to a snippet of either Supreeti or Vivek’s life and take in the associated scent. For instance, as Supreeti reminisces about her college days, you can smell the banana chips that she shared with her roommate.

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