MapCarte 37/365: Scents of Glasgow by Kate McLean, 2013

MapCarte37_mclean

An installation artwork that combines a visual map of the perceived smells encountered in Glasgow during the winter months of 2012 with a collection of 9 individual bespoke scents created from natural ingredients, bottled as part of the installation.

This, then, is a smell map. It’s designed to inform us of the history, culture, urban planning and climate of the city. For instance, carbolic soap alludes to the shared “stair” cleaning in the tenement buildings, green moss to the damp winter climate. Hot Bovril (a drink) at the football is a ritual, as is Lorne (square) sausage sizzling at the markets, cafés and food outlets on building sites.

The large dots represent the source of the smell and the smaller dots show their range and intensity. Not necessarily pleasing on the nose, but pleasing on the eye. More information about the map and similar works here.