This section presents nine places in London that the three participants found meaningful and representative, taking their scent memories or impressions as a cue. The map is shown as a holistic visual representation of the places, with their general locations marked with distinctive scent icons according to the participants' descriptions. The project attempts to digitally represent and visualise the unusual olfactory experiences of the participants' lives in London. As a result, icons, maps, ethnographic images (from participants and researchers) and textual descriptions will be combined.
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Notting hill- Portobello Market
Of all the shops and stalls in Notting Hill, there were four that Yao frequented, one of which was the stall of the spice master in the alleyway. She goes to him to buy cedarwood, his spices are good quality at a good price, and he always seems to have a lot of repeat customers, whether they know him or not, and he always likes to chat.
Once, Yao picked out a piece of Palo Santo, her favourite of all the spices that burn. It was a medium-sized piece of wood but with a hole in the middle. The stall owner put it on the scale and said: 1 pound 7. Yao hadn't smelt Palo Santo before at Portobello Markets, and the Middle Eastern stalls here light incense similar to it, a subtle woody smell with a hint of smoke that reminds her of Notting Hill over and over again.
Yao tried to collect the smoke of Palo santo
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St.Paul's Cathedral
As soon as Liu stepped into St. Paul's Cathedral, he was reminded of the several incense perfumes he had used before. A religious shrine with high ceilings, frescoes and windows, praying worshippers and quietly burning candles.
The smell of incense perfume, frankincense, pine or sandalwood, with a sense of silence, solemnity and mystery. Liu says that the memories of his time here are like a cloud of light grey smoke wafting away.
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Theatres - Her Majesty's Theatre
One of the greatest pleasures in London is seeing musicals in theatres large and small, and as a big fan of theatre, Liu goes to see one almost every month or two. So the theatre is where she gets most of her pleasure. She describes the air in the theatre as not too overtly aromatic, but it always reminds her of a stately warm amber warm wood, slightly sweet yet soothingly warm, with the smell of time. If this olfactory memory were to be materialised, it would have to be like amber or orange-brown chandelier.
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Coal Drop Yard
This is Edison's favourite place, in the shopping district next to CSM. The most impressive thing was a swivel chair placed in the common area on the first floor of the shopping area. Once he and his friend sat there, spun around several times, and then got up in a trance. 'Seeing the last glimpse of the sunset, at that moment we both felt tangible romance and freedom at the same time and were glad that we were not travelling alone at that moment; otherwise the view would have been unsharable and must have brought infinite sadness.' Edison is so happy every time he visits and finds it healing and freeing place, just like his favourite citrus-tinged fragrance, like a pure round orange.
South Kensington
Liu's favourite place in everyday London life is the supermarket, especially the bakery section. The sweet, soft aroma of bread and cakes is the sugar of life. The smell is like warm, slightly warmed wheat, butter and milk, vaguely jammy and tart. Every time she smells it, Liu gets a sense of the solidity of life and feels that this typical smell reminds her of the trivialities of life.
Selfridges
Yao's impression of the scents at Selfridges is called 'stacked perfume bottles'. Yao is an occasional shopper but enjoys exploring new smells and gaining an olfactory experience and keeps a collection of test strips in her bag. She says that because there are so many layers of scents, the mix of good scents often stops her brain from thinking about what they are. Hence summing it up as a 'stacked perfume bottles'.
Hyde Park
One day, Edison went to Hyde Park with a friend just as spring arrived. The weather had barely warmed up at the end of March, and they went boating. The air was slightly cool, the sun was shining, and it was very relaxing to lie in the boat and let it float on its own, watching the seagulls fly by every now and then. As they passed through the park, there was a sense of grass and trees, with some nettles opening up in spring, adding a slight feeling of hemp to the grass and trees.
It's hard to find that feeling. The smell mingles with the scents of grass, earth and wood, and the spring sun, tiny pricks that bring not pain but a kind of life, all this like a faintly sparkling green.
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City of London and Canary
The City of London and Canary Wharf are similar, described by Edison as 'a lot like Penhaligon's deer head'. Densely populated by high-rise buildings and elite people, it's easy to think of men in suits. Edison also says he often meets gym goers here. In recalling the aroma of this Fouche tone on the nose, cardamom or rum, Edison outlines a lavender-purple pentagram, delicate, commercial, mature and charismatic.
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Shorditch
Edison told me that East London is playful and great to shop in. He loves to go to the vintage stores there and is always excited and looking forward to it. The people there are probably the "least gentlemanly" people in London. They are hipper, more unconstraint, more emotional and more real at the same time. So the unruly leathery scent is probably the best fit for his vision of East London and its people. Visually like a triangle of black lychee leather, it's sharp and fun. (p.s. Edison's recreational tool in London, the skateboard, was bought over there.)