Scents of Solastalgia

Olfaction is a vital and neglected sensory aspect of place-making. Each place has a unique smellscape that changes over time and is intimately connected to memory and a sense of belonging. However, the role of olfaction in human and more-than-human experiences of environmental change and loss is not well understood. In the Scents of Solastalgia project, we use artistic methods to explore the significance of olfactory landscapes in rapidly changing, multi-species experiences of place. We are particularly interested in how olfaction contributes to human and non-human distress when environments change around us. This paper describes two eco-olfactory workshops held in Edinburgh during 2024 in which we asked participants to consider how smell works in environments that have significance for them. Participants were invited to bring materials from those environments, share stories about them and contribute to a communal distillation. Steam distillation is one of the oldest and simplest fragrance extraction methods and is used to purify odorants. However, we use steam distillation to extract fragrances from the combination of environmental materials offered by participants. The distillate is a unique blend of odorous materials, including individual notes from each participant’s significant environment, which forms complex speculative smellscapes. In this paper, we discuss how this communal practice co-creates a sense of belonging and has the potential to guide us through distress and grief about changes in our environments. We also explore how it can help us understand the emergence of novel olfactory ecologies and imagine more just and regenerative worlds.

Distillation · Distress · Grief · Olfaction · Process (computing) · Steam distillation · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies · Urban Green Space and Health