Scents, records of a memory
multi-sensory installation, spatial design, leaflets
For the exhibition ‘Making Southwark’ in March 2024, the Southwark Archive commissioned this multi-sensory installation. In collaboration with RCA artist Roberta De Caro, this spatial experience pays tribute to the borough’s industrial past and the work of local perfumer James E. Atkinson. Based on archival research, the piece reflects on the gaps and limitations of recorded history and highlights smell as its silent companion. A customized room scent and interactive “ingredients” centralize the visitors, portraying the ignoble production of perfumes and its pollution for the working class around Atkinson’s former factory site in Bermondsey.
The exhibition ‘Making Southwark’ wants to highlight the importance of public archives and Southwark’s industrial significance for the city.
kiln-carved glass panels
petri-dishes with raw “ingredients”
leaflets, digital printing, 150gms, 10 x 21cm
customized room scent of hops, soap, and leather
spatial soundscape of clock ticking
Credits: Juliane Baur, Javier Barral, Luisa Kuhlewind, Jules Lansac, Paul Paterson in collaboration with Roberta de Caro and Southwark Archives