Sissel Tolaas
Tolaas builds up several smell archives, one of which contains 7000 real smells from all over the world. Since 1998, she has done research projects called ‘City SmellScapes’ with 52 major cities around the world. She launched the world’s first Smell Memory Kit and is a founding member of the International Sleep Science and Technology Association, and the Institute of Functional Smells.
Her research has won recognition through numerous international honors and awards including the 2014 CEW award for chemistry & innovation; the 2009 Rouse Foundation Award from Harvard University GSD, the 2010 Ars Electronica Award in Linz, Austria and the 2010-2014 Synthetic Biology / Synthetic Aesthetics Award from Stanford and Edinburgh Universities including a residency at Harvard Medical School.
SMELL = information
a tool for communication – navigation – education – decision making –
WHAT COULD HAPPEN WHEN INVISIBLE INFORMATION - SMELL MOLECULES -
IS THE STARTING POINT OF ACTING, REACTING…COMMUNICATING?
I believe that smells are a VERY crucial component in the definition, understanding of
and orientation to an environment. Smells surround us all the time. We breathe 23,040
times a day and move 12.5 cubic meters of air and with every breath smell molecules
flood through our bodies. Even when we sleep we smell.
We live in a world of total antisepsis and a continuous wholesale deodorization, and it
match a worldwide homogeneity of faceless glass buildings.
Because all environmental smells cannot be pleasant, the consequences could be, we
will have non at all!
OR, we want to change?
Historical, sociological and religious reasons have pulled the contemporary human being
into almost ignoring more than 1 % of his genes! ONLY education can revive these
hidden capacities, since the hardware and software still function in the healthy human
being, but only if consciously trained and used. There is a whole word to educate and a
whole world to smell!
© Sissel Tolaas
THURSDAY, JUNE 29th • 2:55PM • WALKER CINEMA
