During summer 2021, in the liminal space after more or less rigid lockdowns of the public art life due to Coivd19, a tremendous project on Smell had been curated in the federal state of Bremen and Bremerhaven. More than ten public locations for art & culture coordinated exhibitions and events under the title “Smell it! The Fragrance of Art” (Catalogue by Wienand 2021), including a number of outdoor stations to explore smell in our local environments, really exciting. Somehow a new mapping for hidden smells in our city space had been invented (www.smellit.eu). Marie Gronemeyer, one of our course participants and bloggers, visited the exhibition at the central museum for arts, Kunsthalle Bremen.

“To smell with the eyes: Images of Scent since the Renaissance” (12.6. – 15.8. 2021)

Similarly, the painting “Fish Stall” by Frans Snyders tries to trigger disgust, through creating visuals that evoke the smell of gutted fish. Focusing on the volatile character of scents, Snyder is able to capture the paradox of fish being a luxurious item, yet being prone to rot soon. When I looked at this painting which displayed different shades of pink, the ability of smell to change one’s perception hit me yet again. From afar, I thought this painting looked beautiful and I was soon drawn to it. When I got closer and saw the title “Slaughterhouse (Study)”, I was immediately repelled due to the smell it evoked within me. This change in perception, from a positive first impression to then feeling disgusted, made me realize the power of smell first hand.

The Romans are mentioned as an historical example of smell based division, whereas smell was associated with primitive behaviour. Reinarz mentioned that, historically speaking  especially non-Westerners were viewed as “smelling bad”. For instance, after the “San Francisco Plague of 1900-1904” struck the residents of Chinatown, ethnic foods were associated negatively and deemed to be smelling bad. Similarly to this case, Reinarz also mentioned a sanitary survey of a Brazilian public health campaign, that tried to find the source of a disease by following their noses to the Brazilian slums and without proper testing. Later they found out that the cause of people getting sick was in fact spoiled food, not the slums.

On a more positive note smell also has the ability to connect people, especially in terms of religious practices, where certain scents are used for purifying. Specific scents, as sandalwood (used in rituals of Buddhism) and rose water (used in rituals of Islam) are seen as an expression of devotion, due to being a luxurious product. Furthermore, it is said, that the scent leaves a trail, connecting heaven and earth. Thus, even after leaving church, the people would remain connected with one another.

A more modern take on scents is the aspect of being a luxurious item and product for consumption at the mass market. Reinarz explains that marketing strategies for scents have three basic components. First brand awareness, through the visual art-designer. Second working with visuals like women and flowers, which invoke certain associations. And third, including artificially created scents that cannot be found in nature, like the famous Chanel No. 5. The professor claimed, that the worth of a scent is furthermore measured in how far the components have travelled. The hierarchy and display of power through smelling is once again highlighted by the fact, that the scents of the most luxurious homes are often sourced in the poorest places and under the poorest conditions.