Olfactory Past Bonner + Stayner
Title: Olfactory Past
Location: Edmonton, Canada (Borden Park)
Date: XX
Client: Edmonton Arts Council
Exhibition: An Olfactory Archive: 1738-1969 (Test Sites Symposium exhibition) & 2012 Istanbul Design Biennial
Project Type: Public Art / Research
Exceprt for public art pitch to the Edmonton Arts Council:
“CS: We are interested in making Borden Park contemporary by layering scents from its past onto the existing park — creating an olfactory landscape that delights and educates.
JB: We have developed a series of scent releasing mechanisms located throughout Borden Park that produce an olfactory experience of the past. Throughout the park there are series of atmospheres — a collection of 11 different scents of different scales, frequency, and periods in time — that speak to the past history of the park and of Edmonton itself.
CS: Working with a scent designer and a mechanical engineer we will develop the mechanisms to distribute this “olfactory landscape,” layered onto the existing Borden Park. Such an artwork and experience in will be the first of its kind and located in Edmonton.
JB: We will be introducing scentscapes onto the civic domain of the park in order to heighten awareness of the parks history, providing both an educational and sensory experience. The rate of transmission of smell through space and the formlessness of the area that smells inhabit will be influenced by factors such as winds, visitation, and humidity – ideally suited to the park’s varied environment.”
Collaboration with Christian Stayner
Design Team: Jennifer Bonner, Christian Stayner