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ART & HUMANITIES

Below are words in the scented landscape that fall under the Art & Humanities category. Included here are words from art history, literature, anthropology and philosophy.

This is a labor of love, with no paid editors, please send an email if you find an error, omission of attribution or if you have word(s) to add. 

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Words to date..

aero-dish, noun, aeromet (French), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) French equivalent for ‘aerovivanda’. Aeromet is probably derived from the French medieval ‘entremet’; a term used to describe a multi-sensory dish.    


aero-food, noun, aerovivanda (Italian), (Art History/Futurists) A contraction of ‘aero’ (a prefix invented by the Futurists to indicate speed and modernity)) and ‘vivanda’ (food). A typical aerovivanda contained scents, tastes, sounds and tactile elements. "The aerovivanda is made out of different fruits and vegetables eaten with the right hand, while the left hand palpates a tactile poem. While the orchestra is playing jazz, a violent scent of carnations is sprayed into the room".


aeroperfumes, noun, aeropofumi (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) A contraction of ‘aero’ (a prefix invented by the Futurists to indicate speed and modernity) and ‘profumi’ (perfumes). ‘Aeroprofumi’ were typically Italian smells. "The aeroperfumes of Italy are a combination of lavender, highways, Lambrusco and the Etna, giving expression to our modern nation".


allons au parfum, expression, ‘Let’s go to the perfume (concert)’ (French)    , (Art & Humanities/Literature/Fin-de-siècle) Let's go to the perfume concert. En Grèce, les boutiques des parfumeurs étaient ouvertes à tout venant; elles servaient de lieu de réunion, on y discutait les intérêts de l'Etat, ou y décrétait le mode, on y racontait des histoires scandaleuses, et on disait a Athènes: Allons au parfum, comme dit: Allons au café.” - Septimus Piesse “Des odeurs, des parfums et des cosmétiques”, page 22 introduction.


anthropolfactive, noun, (Art & Humanities/Anthropology) Word in development with group of perfumers who are POC and attempting to decolonize the landscape of perfume. A mixture of the word anthropology with aroma and olfactive. Source: Yosh Han    


aroma doodle, noun, (Art & Humanities/Art) An unfinished melange of scent, designed to make a first impression of an idea.  "After reading the brief, she created an aroma doodle to capture the broad strokes of the project."


aroma poetry, expression, (Art & Humanities/Literature), Wordless poem using scent combinations. See also stances aromatiques (aromatic verse/ poetry).


aromaghost, noun, (Art & Humanities/Art) The smell of something or someone you are missing (consider also Aromabscence). An aromaghost may be created purposely in order to conjure up that which is missed. As a chef and as people who love food, we all miss the unmistakable smells of restaurants and gathering spaces (e.g. citrus notes from the bar kissing the exhaust from a wood-burning stove). - contributed by Tessa Liebman. Aromaghost is not to be confused with phantom odor perception, which is an actual medical term where 1 in 15 adults over age 40 in the United States report smelling things that have no source. This type of phantom odor perception might indicate an underlying health issue.    "When I walked through the empty hallway there was the unmistakable aromaghost of the nearby restaurant that used to burn wood to fire their bread and pizzas." - contributed by Tessa Liebman 


aromajockey, noun, (Art & Humanities/Art) Like a DJ though with scents    "The AromaJockey was diffusing a set of citric notes, before switching to peppermint. The crowd went wild as the atmosphere was vibrant".


aromanthropology, noun, (Art & Humanities/Anthropology) Word in development with group of perfumers who are POC and attempting to decolonize the landscape of perfume. A mixture of the word anthropology with aroma and olfactive. Source: Yosh Han

    

aromascape, noun, (Art) 1. An aromascape relates to an individual's unique identity to and with a mix of smells. 2. In marketing it refers to the ambience of a space via smell. "We each have our own unique aromascape that is informed by our culture, diet and activities."


aromatize, verb, (Art & Humanities/Art) Like visualizing and illustrating.  "The AromaJockey aromatized the space so visitors could smell what it was like in ancient Rome".


arpeggio, noun, (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Literary) (of thyme and lavender, of rosemary, basil, myrtle, tarragon) (Art & Humanities/Literary) An arpeggio is a chord broken into a sequence of notes.A musical arpeggio refers to an acoustic modulation of keys. An olfactory arpeggio would indicate a swift modulation between different scents (which according to Avery Gilbert, human beings are not capable of perceiving. Mice however can)."The scent-organ was playing a delightfully refreshing Herbal Capriccio – rippling arpeggios of thyme and lavender, of rosemary, basil, myrtle, tarragon; a series of daring modulations through the spice keys into ambergris; and a slow return through sandalwood, camphor, cedar, and new mown hay (with occasional subtle touches of discord – a whiff of kidney pudding, the faintest suspicion of pig's dung) back to the simple aromatics with which the piece began. They final blast of thyme died away; there was a round of applause".


biblichor, noun, (Art & Humanities/Literary) The comforting faint, musty smell of old books    seems to have popped up around 2017 - maybe by a book making company in the UK?


caldagrodolce, adjective, (Italian), (Art History/Futurists) A contraction of ‘caldo’ (warm), ‘agro’ (sharp/ bitter) and ‘dolce’(sweet). "The smell of her breath was 'caldagrodolce'".


concerto di profumi, expression, (Italian: perfume concert), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Literally ‘concert of perfumes’. Valentinelli (ca. 1916), “L’arte degli odori”. "The 'concerto di profumi' was breathtaking. But I feel the 'stench chords' were missing".


conoseur, noun,  (Art & Humanities/Art History/Neologism) Based on the word 'conaisseur'. 'Conoseurship' indicates an expertise in the realm of smell.   "Andy Warhol was a true 'conoseur' when it came to perfume and other scent-related items. He collected olfactory artefacts such as Penny Arcade Machines and cleaning products that became part of what he called his 'Permanent Smell Collection", which is now kept at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.


conprofumo, noun, (Italian: with perfume,  harmonic or balanced perfume/odor), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists)  A contraction of ‘con’(with) and ‘profumo’ (perfume). A term used to indicate the affinity of a given perfume with the taste of a certain type of food.  "The waiters were spraying a 'conprofumo' of carnations in the necks of the guests, while from the kitchen arose a violent sound of the 'conmusica' of airplane engines and a 'dismusica' by Bach".


conscent, verb, (Art/Neologism) To agree upon a scent "Not knowing how, or why we generally conscented."


Dhupa, noun, (Anthropology) Goddess personifying incense or dhup....belongs to a group of four godesses embodying the ritual offerings of flowers, incense, light and perfume.    


disprofumo, noun, (Italian: discordant or contrasting perfume/odor, (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) A contraction of ‘dis’ (counter/ opposite) and ‘profumo’ (perfume). A term used to indicate the complementary character of a given perfume with the taste of a certain type of food, such as raw meat and jasmin. "The 'disprofumo' of jasmin heightened the dynamism of the dish with contrasting flavours".


doppelspritzer. noun, (Arts & Humanities/Contemporary) A person, often a stranger, who is wearing "your" perfume when you encounter them. From the German word "doppelganger" meaning "a double or lookalike of a living person." Similarly, the presence of a doppelspritzer can be deeply unsettling.  - contributed by Jessica Murphy


flaireur, noun, (French: smell-walker), (Arts & Humanities/Literary/Fin-de-siècle). Flair' literally means 'sense of smell' (and intuition) in French. 'Flaireurs' were those eccentric figures that roamed the streets around the 1900s looking for interesting smells.  "Last night Huysmans was out in the streets again literally sticking his nose in all kinds of things. He is a true flaireur".


forces odorales, expression, (French: odorous forces ), (Arts & Humanities/Art History/Fin-de-siècle) Literally ‘olfactory forces’. The concept was used in in the scented Total Work of Art Cantique des cantiques van Paul-Napoléon Roinard. Roinard (1891), Les miroirs.    "The 'odiance' was really taken by the 'forces odorales' of the 'perfume concert'".


frescacido, adjective, (Italian: fresh sour), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) A contraction of ‘fresco’ (fresh) and ‘acido’ (acid/ sour). "It no longer has the acid and warm smell of flesh, but the fresh sour effluvium of lymphs".


gamut of odours, expression, (Art & Humanities/Art History/Fin-de-siècle) Perfumer and chemist Septimus Piesse believed every olfactory note corresponded with musical note and that every harmonic chord would likewise smell harmonious as a scent composition: octave of odours. "Olfactory chords taken from the Gamut of Odours are but mixtures of the simple ottos in spirit, which, properly blended, produce an agreeable and characteristic odor,—an effect upon the smelling nerve similar to that which music or the mixture of harmonious sounds produces upon the nerve of hearing, that of pleasure".


gandha, noun, (Art & Humanities/Anthropology) Perfume in sanskrit, personofied by Gandha - goddess who represents the sense of smell.

    

Gandhā, noun, (Anthropology) Tibetan Buddhist's goddess who represesnts the sense of smell (see also Gandhahastin, p.33 or article, Amitabha)    


Heavenly Door,  expression, (Art & Humanities/Philosophy) The Tao expression of the nose, where the philosophy of Tao believes the heavenly Tao is the same as the human Tao, and the correspondence between man and the universe is an active essence running between them. "The heavenly door of self-cultivation  is the nostril. Nostrils open to breathe out, and close to breathe in." "The doors of the nose and mouth are a way for the primordial qi to come in from heaven and earth. People should breathe slowly, delicately and continuously with the nose and mouth, as if the breath were there, as if not." (page 394, "History of Medicine in Chinese Culture, A), Boying Ma


homeopathie nasale, expression, (French: nasal therapy), (Art & Humanities/Literary/Fin-de-siècle) Olfactory therapy based on the healing power of scent memories.  "The nasal therapy helped him calm down. The olfactory memory of visiting his dentist was soon replaced by the memory of a visit by his 'maitresse' when he sniffed a bottle of civet".


idiome des fluides, expression, (French :perfume language), (Literary/Fin-de-siècle)     Literally ‘grammar of fluids’ or language of perfumes.    "He had a hard time constructing sentences with normal words, but he was fluent when it came to scents. With his 'idiome des fluides' he told us a fragrant story about his life and dreams using his 'scent organ'".


inner nose, expression, (Art & Humanities/Contemporary/Philosophy) Equivalent to 'inner eye'. The mental capacity to smell things with the mind without actually being exposed to odorants.   "Although he died a long time ago, I can still clearly smell my father's studio with my inner nose". - Caro Verbeek                    


inoderate, adjectives, (Art & Humanities/Literary/Philosophy)    Without odor "Indeed the fantasy worlds created for us by Hollywood on film and totally inoderate, existing only in the sensory domains of sight and hearing. These scentless representations, which continually produce and reproduce the world for us, reinforce the social drive for deodorization. )from Classen, Howes and Synnett "Aroma" book.


kun kun, noun, (Japanese: sniff sniff), (Art & Humanities/Art) Name of project by artist Hisako Oinoue, Japanese onomatopoeia for "sniff sniff”.


Lignin, noun, (Art & Humanities/Peripherical) The compound used in glue for book making and the source of the unmistakable scent of a book, which is often likened to vanilla Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of vascular plants and some algae. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidity and do not rot easily. Chemically, lignins are cross-linked phenolic polymers.            


lirismo olfattorio, expression, (Italian: olfactory lyricism), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Literally ‘olfactory lyricism’. Also see ‘stances aromatiques’ by Septimus Piesse. "The entire olfactory lyricism within nature, doesn't just reside in perfumes, it's also in the miasma, in stench".


litanie odorante, expression, (French: fragrant prayer), (Art History) Fragrant prayers or burnt offerings were a means to communicate to the gods. Montesquiou (1900), Pays des aromats.  " As soon as Noah reached land he showed his gratitude with a fragrant prayer. He prepared a burnt offering of myrrh, calamus and frankincense. The scent pleased God."


marechal, adjective, (Art & Humanities/Literary/Pre-modern) Smelling of cherry. Used in pre-modern England.    


mental smell, noun, (Literary)     Mental smell, duftbild in German, or fragrant image.    "He was able to create a "Duftbild" in his mind of the perfume that would bring down everyone to their knees in adoration of him".


mise en senteur, expression, (French: scent composition), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Symbolists) Literally a ‘scented composition’ derived from ‘mise-en-scène’; a concept taken from the realm of theatre. It was first used for the scented Total Work of Art ‘Cantique des cantiques’ by Paul-Napoléon Roinard. ”The scent engineer and artist Christophe Laudamiel designed a mise en senteur for the Guggenheim in 2009".


modulations (of spice keys into ambergris) (Art & Humanities/Literary) Also see ‘modulazioni olfattive (Italian)’. "The scent-organ was playing a delightfully refreshing Herbal Capriccio – rippling arpeggios of thyme and lavender, of rosemary, basil, myrtle, tarragon; a series of daring modulations through the spice keys into ambergris; and a slow return through sandalwood, camphor, cedar, and new mown hay (with occasional subtle touches of discord – a whiff of kidney pudding, the faintest suspicion of pig's dung) back to the simple aromatics with which the piece began".


modulazioni olfattive, expression, (Italian: olfactory modulations), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Literally ‘olfactory modulations. A modulation is a rapid shift from one tone to the next and back again. According to Avery Gilbert the human sense of smell cannot detect such shifts. Sanzin (1942), Fiori d’Italia.    


musica di odori, expression, (Italian: Music of scents), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Music of scents.    


naphe, adjective, (Literary/Pre-modern) Citrus notes. Used in pre-modern England.    


narines excédées, expression, (French: Extraordinary nostrils/ sense of smell),  (Art History/Fin-de-siècle) Literally ‘extraordinary nostrils’, or a keen sense of smell.    


nasal persuasion, expression, (Art & Humanities/Philosophy) Being persuaded by the olfactory, leading with the nose (versus sight, sound or touch). 


nasocentric, adjective, (Art & Humanities/Philosophy) To be centered on the nose.


nosion, noun, (Contemporary    Philosophy) Idea something is about to happen, informed by the sense of smell. "The smell of smoke fed the collective nosion of an upcoming fire".    Caro Verbeek


nose muzak, noun, (Art & Humanities/Sociology), the practice of infusing pleasant odors into work settings such as as factories to improve worker's performance, as described by Sebastian Moffett in his book "Japanese Rules", and also in Rachel Herz's book "The Scent of Desire". While the concept of Nose Muzak to improve workers' performance seems strong, the concept of aroma adaption would pose a tricky problem in maintaining such a system in the workplace.


odeur azure, expression, (French: blue odour), (Art & Humanities/Art HistoryLiterary/Fin-de-siècle).    "the fragrant spirals of smoke arose, as intensely blue colours in the air."


odeur opaline, expression, (French: intensely blue odour), (Literary/Fin-de-siècle) ”The fragrant spirals of smoke arose, as intensely blue colours in the air."


odeur vert, expression, (Arts & Humanities/Literary/Symbolists)  Green odour. Green is a contemporary category in perfumery as well.  "There are perfumes as cool as the flesh of children, Sweet as oboes, green as meadows — And others are corrupt, and rich, triumphant".


odible, adjective, (Art & Humanities/Philosophy) Equivalent to visible/audible. "Although hidden, the soldier was clearly odible, as his excessive use of perfume gave away his presence under the pile of hay”.- Caro Verbeek  


odience, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) Equivalent to 'audience'. "The odiance of the perfume concert applauded for five minutes straight".

odiferous, adjective, (Arts & Humanities/Literary) Giving scent; usually, sweet of scent; fragrant; perfumed.    


oditorium, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) The equivalent to the auditory or visual audience. That is who will smell it, experience it, and bring their cultural and personal histories to bear when experiencing scent.    


odormatic, adjective, (Art & Humanities/Philosophy) When an impulse is ignited by odor. “The forensic scientist entered into the abandoned building on a hot and humid day, and had an odormatic response to the space where she became nauseous and dizzy.”   - Catherine Haley Epstein


odophile, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art)  A lover of all things scent, including the study of the good, the bad and the ugly.  


odorama neolo, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Film/Engineering) A scratch & sniff technique meant to illustrate movies, developed by John Waters. "Odors, especially Francine's particularly keen sense of smell, play an important role in the film. To highlight this, Waters designed Odorama, a "scratch-and-sniff" gimmick inspired by the work of William Castle and the 1960 film Scent of Mystery, which featured a device called 'Smell-O-Vision'."

odorant souvenir, expression, olfactory memory (French), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Symbolists)    The olfactory memory was not first described by Proust, but by the ‘Professor of Beauty’.    "The roses were an odorant souvenir of our last night together".

odorante orchestration, expression, fragrant orchestration (French), (Art & Humanities/Art History    Symbolists) An intentional and time-based way of putting scents 'on sniff', just like a musical concert.    


odorat, hallucinations de l’odeur, (Arts & Humanities/Literary/Symbolists)    Fictional character Des Esseintes smelled things that were not there.    

odorate, adjective,     (Arts & Humanities, Literary) Scented: having a strong scent whether fetid or fragrant    

odorbet, noun, (Arts & Humanities    /Art) A collection of smell related words and expressions.    

odore azzuro, noun, (blue odor (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Blue odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.
    

odore concavo, expression, concave odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Concave odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore conico, expression, conic odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Cone-shaped odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore convesso    expression    convex odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Convex odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore elissoidali, expression, elliptical odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Elliptical odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore giallo    expression    yellow odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Yellow odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore oblungo, expression, oblong odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Oblong odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore ovoidale, expression, obval odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Oval odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore rosso, expression, red odour (Italian),  Red odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore sferico    expression    spherical odour (Italian)    Art & Humanities    Art History    Futurists    Spherical odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore spiralico    expression    spiral-shaped odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists)     Spiral-shaped odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore tondo, expression, round odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Circular or round odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore triangolare, expression   triangular odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists)   Triangular odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore turchino, expression, turquoise odour (Italian) (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Turquoise odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore velutato    expression    velvety odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists)  Velvety odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore verde, expression, green odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Green odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore violetto, expression, purple odour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists)  Purple odour. Informed by contemporary scientists such as Charles Henry, the Futurists were convinced that smells, sounds and colours were nothing but variations of vibrations. This way, smells could be expressed visually (either in painting or sculpture), in shapes and colours.    


odore, archi mobili di, expression, moving arches of odor (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurist) Marinetti described ‘moving arches of odour’ as part of the olfactory aura/ scent trail of a woman. To the Futurists, scent was a dynamic phenomenon.    


odoresque, adjective, (Art History/Fin-de-siècle) Equivalent to 'pitturesque'. Referring to a scentscape that stirs the olfactory imagination.    


odori, monotonia di, monotonous expression of odors, (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Literally ‘monotony of odours’. Valentinelli wanted to replace existing smells attached to places with more appropriate ones in line with activities and functions. Valentinelli (ca. 1916), “L’arte degli odori”.    


odoriferous, adjective, (Arts & Humanities/Art) Portmanteau of "odor", meaning smell and the Latin "ferre" meaning “to carry”.


odoriferous, adjective, (Arts & Humanities/Literary) Emitting a smell, especially an unpleasant smell. Mr. Kline, the marketer, said that in focus groups, cat owners expressed concern that they had grown inured to the odoriferous.New York Times (Oct 7, 2010) (see also odoriferous)    


odorous, adjective, (Arts & Humanities/Literary) Fragrant, perfumed, sweet of scent.    


odoterrorism, noun, (Arts & Humanities    /Art History/Philosophy) To use scent to terrorize    "What differentiates odoterrorism from other terrorist tactics is that visual evidence can be slight and so offers little to news media eager for dramatic footage. Odoterrorism, however, not only typifies the actions of malevolent agents to weaponize air, it can also serve as the means for a growing genre of performance using smell. War remains a preoccupation of contemporary artists, and odours are a potent means to introduce disgust, abjectness, decay and sometimes danger." - Jim Drobnick


odouring/odoring, verb, (Arts & Humanities/Art) 1. To scent one's environment (John Foley) 2. To adore a scent (Catherine Haley Epstein)    


olfactambulism, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) Walking without a pre-designed route focussing on smell as primary input modality.    


olfactif, adjective, olfactory (Art & Humanities/Psychology/Symbolists) Term used by psychologist André Monéry to indicate artists obsessed by the sense of smell and artists addressing the sense of smell, like Baudelaire and Maupassant. Also see 'olfactory artist'.    


olfactionary, adjective, (Arts & Humanities/Philosophy    ) visionary but olfactory-wise indicating that olfaction can lead to fundamental insights.    


olfactionism, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) This contains the words 'fact' and 'action'. It is an expression of 'olfactism' and part of the larger field of olfactory art. According to artist Peter de Cupere the famous episode in which the main character in "In Search of Lost Time" dips a madeleine in lime blossom tea and is suddenly overwhelmed with memories of visiting his aunt in Combray, is an example.    


olfactism, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) Umbrella term used for art in which scent plays a major role or is the actual work of art. Olfactism can be divided into 'olfactionism' and 'olfactorism'. All three s were invented by olfactory artist Peter de Cupere.    


olfactocentrism, noun, (Philosophy) Nose-centered like ocularism or ocularcentrism for the eye, indicating that assumptions are justly or unjustly based on the sense of smell.  - Jim Drobnick, 2006        


olfactorism, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) Olfactorism is a type of olfactory art in which scent plays a major role, yet without encouraging the perceiver to take action, which would be the case in 'olfactionism'. This was introduced by olfactory artist Peter de Cupere.    


Olfactimer, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Taste), Using your nose to know when food is cooked/ready/overcooked ( consider also Sensometer). - contributed by Tessa Liebman. Olfactimer is based off a conversation Tessa was having with (fellow chef) Ana (Ortiz) where they were talking about being in the kitchen and how you have to use all of your senses. Tessa says, “It is something that has always kept me from burning out and leaving the kitchen entirely. Grounding into the sensuality and opportunity to engage with different textures, colors, smells and use them as clues to what was needed from me as a collaborator with/manipulator of the material presented. Did this fruit need as much sugar as another fruit even of the same variety? Was that soup making too much noise boiling and need the flame turned down? Did I smell the sugar turning too bitter in the caramel? Bread burning?” olfactorize, verb, (Arts & Humanities/Philosophy) Imagining smells. The word 'image' solely refers to vision.    

olfactory art, noun, (Arts & Humanities    Art) Anachronistic, used retrospectively to label art in which scent is used as a tool and carrier of meaning.    


olfactory artist, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary Artists addressing the sense of smell in their artwork, like Baudelaire and Maupassant. See "olfactif" term used by psychologist André Monéry    


olfactory curator, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary) The taking care and careful selection of scent for a specific context, concept or collection. Olfactory curating does not imply making scent.  - contributed by Tasha Marks


olfactory designer, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary), one who designs scent with the help of a collaborative team (e.g. perfumer or scientists).         


olfactory detective, noun, (Art & Humanities/History) Researchers interested in recreating and researching scents from the past. Heritage scientist Cecilia Bembibre and co-authored a study published in the journal Heritage Science, where they tried to develop guidelines for characterizing, preserving and possibly even recreating old smells. They used old books to study this phenomenon of olfactory heritage.    


olfactory gaze, noun (Art History/Philosophy/Psychology) In Lacanian psychoanalytic theory the 'gaze' is the anxious state of mind derived the self-awareness that one can be seen and looked at. In the arts the 'gaze' simply refers to the act of seeing. The 'olfactory gaze' means analyzing images with olfaction in mind. "With an olfactory gaze, the still life with cheeses at the Rijksmuseum had a much more sensory and aesthetic appeal".


olfactory installation, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary) An installation in an art setting (indoor or outdoor) that features primarily the sense of smell as a critical aspect of the work.         


olfactory narrative, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary) Using scent to tell a story.    


olfactory phenomenology, noun, (Art & Humanities/Philosophy/Neuroscience) The philosophical study of the structures of experience and consciousness as it relates to the olfactory system.    


olfactory playground, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary) A process that has something in common with the Bauhaus movement, inspired by some of their terms like "the new way of designing", "new design theory", "rewrite the meaning of form", "unlearn", "unified the work of art and design" (ABC's of BAUHAUS), also which were repeatedly compared with the kindergarten.  - contributed by arianna khmelniuk “In the olfactory playground, everyone can access and create, anywhere, of any gender, at any time. your main medium is odorant material. play more often"    


olfactory portrait, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary) An olfactory portrait represents one's given smell (which can be a combination of natural and artificially added scents).    


olfactory postcard, noun, (Art & Humanities/Art) Seen formally first in the "Ode to Smell" exhibition at the Venice Bienalle for Architecture in 2021, an olfactory postcard is a short, informal, olfactory message one can send to a friend that is reminiscent of a particular place.    At the "Ode to Smell" exhibit one is able to scan a QR code on a bottle and send an olfactory postcard to a friend reminiscent of a specific area.


olfactory silence, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Peripherical/Philosophy) Absence of smell.    


olfactory typology, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art)    Term referring to the linguistics of olfaction.         


olfatto-immaginazione, noun,     olfactory imagination/ olfactorisation (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) There is no word for ‘olfactory imagination’ in Italian (not in many other languages). Marinetti used it in the context of the scent of female skin and how it aroused him (as opposed to perfume).    "The scents of her skin really triggered my 'olfatto-immaginazione'".


olifactor, noun    , (Arts & Humanities/Art    Contemporary) Kate McLean's original term used in smellwalking practices for a participant on a smellwalk.


on sniff, expression, (Arts & Humanities/Art) Equivalent to "on view”. - Caro Verbeek


ondate olezzatrici, expression, fragrant waves (Italian), (Art & Humanities    /Literary/Futurists) ‘Ondata’ means ‘waves’ and ‘olezzatrice’ means ‘giving of scent. In the 19th and early 20th century smells were thought to travel as a vibrating electro-magnetic waves.: Valentinelli (ca. 1916), “L’arte degli odori”.    


ondes odorantes, expression, fragrant waves (French), (Art & Humanities/Literary/Contemporary) Literally ‘fragrant waves’. In the 19th and early 20th century smells were thought to travel as a vibrating electromagnetic waves. Huysmans (1884), Á rebours.    


orchestration of scent, expression, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary)    See "scent composer'    


paesaggio di odori, expression, scentscape (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Marinetti was the first artists to use this word for the spatial and temporal organization of scents.    


Osmonaught, noun, Someone using scent to explore psychedelic/spiritual terrain. - Carla Seipp “In many cultures and spanning millennium scent has signified spiritual essence, where scent becomes allegorical to divine love and unison. An osmonaught treats scent with the same reverence using it to seek enlightenment, gratitude, or generally a deeper path of existence.”


pairfumer, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) A pairfumer is a cross-disciplinary maker who uses tools of the perfume trade in order to support their work, projects and philosophies. - Catherine Haley Epstein


perfumance, (Arts & Humanities/Art) Performance piece centered on olfaction, used by Peter De Cupere 2000's "the artist uses the term for all of his performances which a reference is made to the sense of smell" (instagram post May 2020 PD)    


pentiscenti, noun, (Art & Humanities/Art History/Art) From the Italian term "pentimenti," denoting the underlying marks or images that emerge and become visible in a finished painting over time. Similarly, pentiscenti are traces of previously worn perfumes that unexpectedly emanate from cuffs, collars, sweaters, etc. - contributed by Jessica Murphy


period nose, expression, (Art & Humanities/History) Just like the term 'period eye' (by Baxandall) indicates how perception is not just a physiological phenomenon, but rather structured by culture, 'period nose' indicates how the evaluation of smells depends on cultural context.    


polibibita F (multisensory cocktail)    , expression, multisensory cocktail (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Contraction of ‘poli’ (plural/ several) and ‘bibita’ (drink). The polibibita is the Italian equivalent for ‘cocktail’. A polibita could even consist of sounds.    


polifonia di profumi, expression, polyphony of perfume (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) A ‘polifonia’ di odori’ is a controlled synthesis of different perfumes.    


presniff, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) Equivalent to 'preview'. When you smell part of an olfactory performance or artwork to give an idea what is to be expected.    - Caro Verbeek


profumatóio (a tastiera),  expression, scent keyboard (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Marinetti described a scent organ in a manifesto. It was supposed to answer to individual tastes and played by the audience (odience) at their own table. Marinetti (1933), “Teatro totale per masse”, Battaglia, Dizionario Italiano, 1961.    


redolent, adjective, (Arts & Humanities/Literary) Fragrant or sweet-smelling, although the exact meaning and connotation changed over time.    


Rhinoart, noun, (Art & Humanities), Art for your nose.                                


Rhinoferocess, noun, (Art & Humanities) A word to describe females (those who identify as female) who defend perfumery as an art  Art & Humanities  - Christophe Laudamiel                                                                                           Rhinoferocious, noun (Art & Humanities) A word to describe those who defend perfumery as an art.  - Christophe Laudamiel                                                                                                            

Rhinographies, noun, (Art & Humanities) The outline of body of work and the study of the tendencies of a unique nose.                                                                                             

ritratto olfattivo, expression, olfactory portrait (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Marinetti described the dynamic scent trail and exhalations of a woman he found attractive and that he traced by following his nose. Marinetti (1932), “Ritratto olfattivo di una donna”.    


sapore-colore-odore, expression, taste-colour-odour/ flavour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists)    There is no word for ‘flavour’ in Italian, so the Futurists contracted taste, colour and smell to emphasize the synthesis of these sensory stimuli during culinary activities. Marinetti, Fillìa (1932), La cucina futurista.    


scensorship/scensor, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) To unjustly give restrictions on certain smells "Without reason or purpose he created a campaign of scensorship for all smoked materials." - Catherine Haley Epstein


scent (art) historian/ olfactory (art) historian, noun, (Art History/Contemporary/Art) historian focusing on smell in a historical context. A scent historian doesn't just diagnose and list smells from a certain era, but contextualizes them by researching skills, associations and paradigms over a certain period of time.    


scent composer, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary) When one is not necessarily a professional perfumer, though combines scent to create harmony with accords, or dissonance depending on the aesthetic intended    


scent designer, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary) Similar to scent composer, though practical elements of design are thought through in a more detailed manner and often is executed with the help of a perfumer. See also “olfactory designer).


scent organ, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Literary/Contemporary) Aldous Huxley’s scent organ was able to modulate and switch odors very rapidly.    


scent sculptor, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary) When an artist perfumer approaches the design of scent where its material aspects take precedence in a space, and gives shape to a particular moment and/or context. Shape being the emphasis of a scent sculpture, though while it is invisible, it has been designed with a specific shape and thought to how you move around the specific scent being created.    


scent seller, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/History) Pictured in an 18th century painting, presumably someone who sold what we now consider to be perfumes (more research needed here), see painting by Pietro Longhi, The Scent Seller, ca. 1741

scent-script, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) A scent script is a list of scents with time indications meant for aromajockeys so they know when to diffuse scents at a required moment, for example during a lecture.    "The AromaJockey carefully followed the scent-script provided to him by the scent historian who lectured on ancient Egyptian perfumes".


scented maps, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Geography) Maps that delineate regions on a map based on the odors present in the lands and/or spaces. 

        

scenterpiece, noun, (Arts & Humanities    /Art) The landscape of the table, where sensory ideas, especially scent, may be played with. - contributed by Tasha Marks


scentisizer, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art)            


scentsibilities, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art)The ability to appreciate and respond to complex emotional or aesthetic influences via all of the senses.     


scentual translator, noun, (Art & Humanities/Taste/philosophy) Using scent and all of the senses with the intention on an idea, a story or philosophy. - contributed by Tessa Liebman. Frances Cathryn of WIP Projects originally coined this term to describe Tessa’s work because she was translating the stories/concepts of artists from one sense to another; in the case of perfumers from olfactory to gustatory.


semi-odors, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Fin-de-siècle) Semi-odors are half-notes – like the black keys on a piano - and are derived from the ‘octave of odours’ by Septimus Piesse. Deze metafoor is verwant aan ‘octave of odours’ en ook afkomstig van Septimus Piesse. Piesse (1857), The Art of Perfumery.    


sensorial Reflection, expression, (Art & Humanities) Sensorial reflection is to consider an idea, a physical space or a specific experience with all of your senses.    After several years of being bombarded with audio-visuals to distract us cerebrally during the pandemic, sensorial reflection is a welcome framework where we can take in the world around us with all of our senses.


sensory borrowing, verb, (Arts & Humanities    /Art/Contemporary)    Sensory borrowing  is the linguistic impossibility of expressing olfactory experience. Found in a book The Senses: Design Beyond Vision (design book exploring inclusive and multi-sensory design practices across disciplines)

Any attempts to describe the experience indicate borrowing - for example, the term "fresh" came into use for the first time in the last century when New York was built (poor air circulation due to the city plan) and when people went out of town, then for fresh air (from the book Smell Detectives). Word fresh associates with not salted (drinkable) water (taste). “I made an art book (was made just 25 copies) SENSORY BORROWING in which we gathered with other creatives words that we tried to use to describe findings during the smellwalk. I was trying to translate it to several languages of my ancestors, to feel a difference of sound of other languages. Some languages had 4 words for the same meaning.”…”Sensory borrowing is a linguistic impossibility of expressing olfactory experience."    


sinottico- singustativo, expression, (Italian) synoptic-together/syn-gustatory, (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists)    When diverse tastes come together to become a new whole with a metaphoric meaning.    The 'peperoni' (reflecting Southern Europe) dipped in fish oil (referring to the North Sea) - formed a harmonic geographic poem.


silage, noun, (Art & Humanities/Peripheral) Have you ever caught yourself wondering, "Who smells so good? What perfume are they wearing?" and then realized you're smelling...yourself? From the French word "sillage," literally a "trail" or "wake," often applied to the trail of scent a perfume-wearing person leaves behind them. - contributed by Jessica Murphy


smell events, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art)            


smell sketch, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) A quick visual rendering of a smell experience developed in this practice. Usually makes use of watercolour paints to summarise a particular smell or experience of the smellwalk, used both as graphic elicitation and an aide-memoire.    


smell visualiser, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Geography) A paper-based grid designed to enable non-specialists to visualise their smell experiences in colour and shape.    


smell/ scent preservation, expression, (Art & Humanities/History    ) See Jorge Otero-Pailos work with Morgan Library (with Andreas Keller) and Philip Johnson Glass House Project (2008) and Cecilia Bembibre's PhD on scent as heritage (2019). "Scent preservation has become increasingly important as smell is acknowledged more and more by museum and heritage professionals". See also Odeuropa project working to preserve historical odors of Europe. 


smellervation, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art    Historical) The olfactory equivalent of an observation, noticed through smelling as opposed to having been seen or heard    


smellfie/smellfie kit, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) A self-guided smellwalk, using a free pack of materials available from my website, to understand the theory and practices (included a printable smellnote form. - Kate McLean    


smellhack, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) A hashtag used to share creative ways to change the scent in one's environment.     -arianna khmelniuk


smellhacker, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) Decoding of smell information, or human perception, or of human prejudice of odorant material. Never met this word before, "assembled" by me. 

(it was a poster/zine/statement/virtual reality work) through which I started for the first time publicly invite the art community (Atlanta, GA) to experiment with odorant material.

For example, if to think that hacker enters, breaks, and disassemble, then this is approximately the same as what I suggested to do with those clichés that we have about smells (what should they be? what do we like or not? why? ...or so that we learn a new language with their help).


"I think a smellhacker can be anyone who dares to disagree with and not to follow the traditional narratives in perfumery".     - arianna khmelniuk


smellnote, noun, Arts & Humanities/Art) A record of a smell experience including at a minimum naming a smell, may also include qualitative data fields to record the intensity, duration,

hedonic tone, expectation and association of a smell.    


smellwalk, noun (Psychology/Philosophy) During a smellwalk, people become aware of the associative, emotive, spatial and temporal qualities of their olfactory environment. "Surveys and mapping of smellscape may perhaps be performed via smellwalks (compare soundwalks, and the Lynchean "walk around the block."0" page 26, 1990, Porteous, D. "McLean has led small armies of urban explorers on 'smellwalks' around 12 other cities, including New York, Singapore, Barcelona, and Kiev". FIrst used in "Landscapes of the Mind", by Douglas Porteous, please see page 26-27, also used by contemporary artist Kate McLean and others.        


smellscape narratives, expression, “Arts & Humanities    Art            


smellscape/ scentscape    noun        Arts & Humanities    Art    Geography    Like landscape but for scent: a scene created with multiple scents integrated to create an atmosphere or an existing landscape of odours with spatial and temporal qualities, like in a city.    "McLean calls visualizations of urban olfactory environment “smellmaps.” Smellmaps can come in handy for people interested in new ways of exploring both the cities they live in and the ones they visit".


smellsmith/sniffsmith, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) Someone whose work is focused on the architectural aspects of a scent and how it resides in a space or context    . - contributed by Tasha Marks 


smellworld, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art) A spatial and temporal world engendered through mapping of the smellscape    


smound, noun, (Philosophy) A contraction of sound and smell. Septimus Piesse believed that sounds triggered the olfactory nerve and vice versa. He was right.    "The music and the scent resulted in a unique smound".    Piesse, The Art of Perfumery, 1857.                                                                        


sniffsmith, noun, (Art & Humanities), An act of making that is both traditional and physical, yet also olfactory and imaginative. Tasha has always been interested in scenting spaces, there’s something architectural about it. “What I do is often about making the aroma physical in some way, where I am making scent visible.” – contributed by Tasha Marks


social olfactory sculpture, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Art/Contemporary) A social olfactory sculpture is either composed of socially important scents, or meant to enhance or ignite social processes.    


stances aromatiques, expression, aromatic vs/ aromatic poetry (French), (Art & Humanities/Symbolists) An aromatic wordless type of poetry.    


stench chords, expression, accordi di fetori (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Literally ‘chords of stench’. Valentinelli believed stench could heighten the lyricism of olfactory poetry.    


storia dei fetori, expression, history of stench (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Literally ‘history of stench’. Valentinelli wanted to include stench in the renarrating of the history of smell, since only perfumes are described. Stench would heighten the lyricism because of the intriguing contrast they would pose. Valentinelli (ca. 1916), “L’arte degli odori”.    


suffumigation, noun, (Arts & Humanities/Anthropology/History), 1.  the act or process of suffumigating (as in magic rites or in treatment) 2: a fume, smoke, or vapor used in suffumigating - shared by Miriam Songster


syn-olfactismo, expression, together/olfactory, (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists/The connection or correspondence that link colour and odor, a word created by the Futurists, though a concept that has been studied since the 1930s starting with Von Hornbostol (1931).    


uniodorità, expression, monodority (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Contraction of ‘unione’ of ‘unità (unity) en ‘odore’ (scent). Valentinelli wanted to break down the dreaded monotony of odours in certain places and argued for a scented narrative in line with the environment. Valentinelli (ca. 1916), “L’arte degli odori”.    


vaprofumo, noun, vapodour (Italian), (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists/Contraction of ‘vapore’ (vapour’) and profumo’ (perfume) to emphasize the volatility and dynamism of an odorant. Giacomo Balla, Vaprofumo, 1928.    "The painting 'Vaprofumo' by Giacomo Balla depicts the dynamism of a perfume escaping from a bottle".


verdeazzurrodorato, expression, greenish-blueish-scent, (Art & Humanities/Art History/Futurists) Futurist artists came up with many synaesthetic words by merging several adjectives belonging to different sensory domains. 'Verdazzurrodorato' is a contraction of 'verde' (green) 'azzurro' (blue) and 'odorato' (scented) and refers to a 'bluish green scent’. ”The woods near the ocean gave a synaesthetic 'verdazzurrodorato' impression. I was no longer sure if I was smelling colour, or seeing scent".


world sniff, expression, (Arts & Humanities/Anthropology) Like a worldview but with a nose, in other words: a concept of the world derived from an olfactory point of view.     - Caro Verbeek


zunasenheit, expression, (German) ready at nose, (Art & Humanities/Science/Philosophy    ) Olfactory equivalent of 'zuhandenheit'; a German invented by Heidegger translated as 'ready-to-hand', indicating our non-theoretical relation to objects in our environment that are ready to use.    "The knowledge and skills of the senior perfumer are truly embodied. His 'zunasenheit' is expressed by his agile use of odorants and instruments that have become extensions of his mind and body".

                                                                                    

scentiment, noun, (Art & Humanities/Psychology) A memory or experience that is expressed through scent. “By restructuring the scent of her deceased loved one, she created a powerful scentiment to aid in her grieving process.” - Steffie Baaijens                                                                                    

tip of the nose, expression, (Art & Humanities/Psychology) The phenomenon when there is a familiar scent, where the brain can not retrieve names or words to fit the scent. Lawless,H. and Engen, T. (1977) Associations to odors: interference, mnemonics, and verbal labeling.J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Learn., 3, 52–59.                                                                                    

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