Archive of Lost and Future Smells
The research project was developed during the Jan van Eyck Academie. Archive Lost and Future Smells is a participatory research project that invites city participants to engage with their urban environment through sensory exploration and creative urban design. Rather than approaching the city solely through data or passive observation, this initiative uses scent, imagination as tools to re-experience and reimagine public space. By combining citizen science with playful, embodied methods, the project encourages communities to reflect on how they perceive and shape their surroundings.
The project culminated in a physical board game in which players collaboratively build a city by defining each district through its scent, creating a shared narrative that brings the city to life. Inspired by the research process, the game playfully examines how smell influences our understanding of reality, using locally collected scents to spark ideas and dialogue among participants.