SMELL AND CULTURE · LESSON 5 OF 5

How can smells be recorded so they are not lost?

Smells disappear when the places, materials and practices behind them change. Recording them means writing down what the smell is like, where and when it occurs, and on what evidence the description rests.

SmellBook keeps 6 evidence classes apart, so a historical record, a cultural description and an editorial note are never presented as the same kind of knowledge. A draft record format for museums and archives is published for discussion.