The smell of memory : sensorial mnemonics

Abstract

Time, landscape and memory represent a potent triumvirate. Each is embedded within the other, and the landscape architect has a critical role to play in orchestrating connections. In this paper I explore the hegemony of the visual over the other senses, and contrast this with the potency which the sense of smell has in the context of evoking time and memory. I identify some opportunities for design, and present some examples from a range of designers and artists. The hegemony of the visual in culture in general, and in landscape design in particular, is a significant oversight for two key reasons. On one hand, visuality has prompted a relationship with the landscape that is characterised by distance and detachment. Such a mode of experiencing the landscape was most effectively characterised by the picturesque period and its subsequent imprint upon the profession of landscape architecture, and the broader field of landscape aesthetics.