Sensorial perception is as much a cultural phenomenon as a physical and biological function. Fragrances, aromas, and the mouth-watering smells of foods are defining elements of our social  perception, building memories, and situating us into particular cultural contexts.  But, what about the unpleasant or foul odours? Heritage and museum initiatives tend to shy away from malodours,  focusing on pleasant fragrances from the past, warping ideas about olfactory history.

In this Odeuropa Workshop: Malodours as Cultural Heritage?, an interdisciplinary group of scholars and museum professionals will explore and challenge the topic of stench, dealing with the specifics of historicising malodours. The border between the malodorous and the pleasant is not only individually, but also collectively, culturally and historically defined. What do malodours tell us about transitions and advancements within urban, social, cultural, and environmental contexts? How can the sense of smell act as a measurement of analysis for histories of the past and present? How can we locate malodours, intangible by definition, within the cultural heritage sector and how can they be used as a storytelling technique?

Details:

Date: December 15-16, 2021 (9:45-17:00 CEST)
Streaming from: Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin
Organizers: EU-research network Odeuropa & Berlin Center for Cold War Studies (BKKK) of Leibniz-Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ)
Format: live and pre-recorded lectures
Participants: Open for virtual participation, live-stream link will be publicly available

To register for the event and to receive the official program, please fill out this form.

To join the webinar for Day 1 – December 15th, 2021.9:45-17:00 CEST, follow this link. 

To join the webinar for Day 2 – December 16th, 2021.9:45-16:00 CEST, follow this link.