This page will display four panels on fragrance/scent in public spaces.
'Scents, People and Space' visualises participants' imaginations of how their scents exist in space, based on their descriptions, using digital images respectively.
'Smell of Others in Public Places' tells the story of Liu, Edison and Yao's encounters with the scent of other people in different public spaces and shows their reflections on this.
As different scents bring different atmospheres and experiences, and the resulting impressions influence people's opinions, the section 'Impressions of Various Aromas' presents participants' vocabulary of impressions of 14 typical essential fragrances notes.
'Social Interactions and Fragrance' further summarises different people's thoughts on the role of scents in social interaction.
Scents, People and Space
Liu：The scent is a veil. Close to the body, head to toe, but not completely wrapped. Without a sense of gravity, they float on their own and touch the body with the air currents.They can only be smelled when someone touches me (I didn't realise it when I was standing next to them - I only reacted when someone touched me)
Yao：When sprayed on the skin, the fragrance slowly soaks into the skin and exudes with the temperature, like a hooded, kind of colloid or aerosol that does not disperse.It has borders and a grainy interior.
Edison: It is said that there is an oral around each person that forms the boundaries of the self and amplifies the mood and state of the person. I feel it's a uniformly diffused form, a rippling sphere, lighter than smoke, like light.
Smell of others in public places
Places where you can easily encounter other individuals' scents
lifts, libraries, buses, cafe...
Liu:
Lifts are places often encountered in such a long, narrow rectangle where odours are so strong as to be uncomfortable or taste unpleasant. ‘I am increasingly convinced that scents in public spaces with a high density of people will invade my private room. But if it's a library, where I spend a lot of time, I can't stand it.’
Edison:
At first, I feel disturbed for a moment when I smell someone's fragrance, but I also say that I understand the other person's wearing habits. In public spaces in London, most people wear fragrances freely. In contrast, Chinese people wear fragrances discreetly and with restraint.
A few of typical fragrances that can be verified in public:
-The Middle Eastern crowd favours heavily spiced scents, often with oriental notes.
-Refreshing floral and fruity tea aromas on Chinese women.
-Men who work out using cardamom and other fougère fragrances.
Yao:
The aroma from women in public strikes me as hormonal and poses a threat. I don't really like and feel offended if I smell a strong perfume that I don't like in public.
Impressions of Various Aromas
Hepseridic
Bright, highly saturated orange and bright yellow
Refreshing, hydrating, light, uplifting, highly diffused
Vibrant, youthful, optimistic, hopeful, outgoing
Aromatic
Grassy, dry, slightly fluffy
Hard, linear
Green
Cool, lime green, greenish, slightly bitter, genderless, uplifting
Floral
Soft, gentle, delicate, powdery, slender
Fruity
Juicy, sweet and sour, crisp, fresh, plump, light, brisk
Watery
Refreshing, clean, marine, hard, mineral, cool
Animalic
Hot, heavy, sticky, stuffy, outgoing, sexy
Woody
fluffy, deep, secure, reliable, calm, autumn/winter, masculine calm, introspective
Fougère
Confident, wise, elegant, gentlemanly, golden glow, purple
Powdery
Fluffy, reassuring, secure
Oriental
Heat, dry, fluffy, strong, spicy, masculine
Gourmand
Sweet, soft, warm, luminous, dense
Chypre
Damp, brooding, classic, vintage
Leather
Free, yuppie, maverick, dry
Social interactions and Fragrance
'CLOSENESS'
The scent of a friend brings a sense of closeness. The feeling of smell fits the degree of knowing the person. It adds to the favours if you happen to like it and creates a sense of intimate space.
"IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT'
See different people with different perfumes and express yourself. Want to be recognised as pleasant and approachable in front of people you like, rather than showing your aggressiveness.
'SOCIAL PRE_PROGRAM / FILTER'
Personal scent creates my first impression of them. It's like sending out signals that it will be a better match if the tastes fit. It's also a pre-program (or filter) where the perception of the aroma may influence the first personal impression the nose perceives