“I like the various creative twists in using a sense that we often don’t use in interactive installations.” —Sakchin Bessette
“Considering how closely smell is linked to memory, multimedia projects including scents seem to be few and far between. Sniffing out the Differences is a wonderful, artful and stirring example of using more than just visuals to express an idea.” —Husani Oakley
Overview: In an increasingly homogenized world, people are more isolated than ever. To foster introspection of one’s own identity formation, Sniffing out the differences, a collective of creatives based in India and the United States, merged the medium of smell with sensor technology and other media to build an eponymous series of five interactive installations. From using poetry, scent interactions and video to better understand the lived realities of people in Kashmir to featuring protagonists narrating their stories in their own voices and an olfactory medium, each installation explored a different form of identity creation and expression.
Seven members of the Sniffing out the differences collective worked with local scent makers and artisans to produce scents and some artifacts.
Arduino microcontrollers and self-assembled sensors were used to build interactive triggers and feedback.
The project took one year to produce.
Comments by Sniffing out the differences:
What was the most challenging aspect of the project? “Creating scent interactions that truly reflect the essence of the narratives we were building. There was minimal literature and almost no past examples of this. We had to build nearly everything from scratch, including coming up with our own paradigms and experiments in order to create emotionally engaging narratives.”
Are there any special navigational features? “Olfactory interfaces pose a few specific challenges. The most critical was dealing with olfactory fatigue. We built the experience so users were guided through the narratives and could experience each scent distinctly. We experimented extensively to determine the ideal experience. Exhaust and building enclosures ensured that no scents leaked, enabling a more meaningful and thought-provoking experience. The navigation also depended on interaction with audio, video and artifacts, which helped guide users toward the required emotion, with the scent acting as the visceral stimulus and the other media and objects acting as the guiding stimulus.”
Did you learn anything new during the process? “We learned a lot about ourselves, since the process started with introspection and a deep examination of the various identities to which we subscribe at once. At the same time, our experiments in olfactory interactions and narratives led us to new modes of storytelling with few precedents. We understood the deep connections between olfaction and the formation of Indian cultural identities and were able to utilize our learnings to further these connections.”
