‘Scents-u-all Love’ was a public space installation designed for the Chelsea Fringe in 2014. It explores multisensory design; specifically how architecture & public spaces might be designed around our sense of smell. The installations culminated with an interactive public art event. This project was made in collaboration with Curt Brown of Green truC studio.

We have split our project into 5 posts:

  1. The first post explores our project ideas, multisensory design and the development of our design for construction and installation.
  2. The second post describes the public space installations at Broadgate; for the Chelsea Fringe Festival and then outside Broadgate tower. (this post)
  3. The third post describes scent oriented design installations at Canada Square and Bell Square.
  4. The fourth post describes the installation at Wimbledon Piazza and the interactive public art event.
  5. The fifth and final post describes the construction process. We present a guide of how to make a scented chair for yourself.

Broadgate Exchange Square – The Chelsea Fringe

The Chelsea Fringe show at Exchange square was the starting point for our public space installation.

The Chelsea Fringe is an arts, horticulture and gardening event that takes place each year across various public spaces across London and the UK. The Fringe is an alternative gardening festival, held at the same time as the world famous Chelsea Flower Show.

Exchange square is near Liverpool Street Train station in London. It is maintained and run by Broadgate, the largest pedestrianised area in London. We worked closely with Broadgate to organise the installation.

Scents-u-all-love – a perfect spot for that phone conversation
Taking a minute to sniff the lemon balm, whilst a man in a suit sits to write a quick text
A member of the catering staff takes a call at the installation

Here at Exchange Square the chairs here were placed in a compact & intimate arrangement to suit the site. At the same time the square hosted food and cooking tents offering lunch options to the office staff. Often people were using the chairs as a place to sit and eat their lunches.

Observing the installation we noticed people often stopping to sit and make a phone call, the walls sheltering them from noise. Although we intended to create intimate spaces with scent oriented design, it had the side effect of creating pockets of quiet personal space useful for this purpose.

The installation lasted the duration of the three week Chelsea Fringe festival. We did also notice some users stopping to sniff the plants! So our project was working as intended.

Scent oriented design aims to create intimate events. Lavender encourages users to engage with their sense of smell, whilst rough sanded timbers encourage to engage their sense of touch.
Lavender
In name and nature each blossom one
In seas far reaching as a gaze
A thousand rows of a thousand pearls
My freedom sacrificed to a scented maze
Lay me down gently in eternal youth
Tell me stories from worlds of old
Forbid my path beyond the portal verdure
Lest unfortunate events unfold
Kiss my wounds that they may heal
Whisper sweet overtones into my ear
Consume the chains that bind my sleep
With your golden dew drown every fear
When I in blueish have been cleansed
Parry wills bearing holey attire
Else wrap me in trichomic decadence
As I feast upon deserts of imparted desire
Lavender
---
Curt Brown

Broadgate Tower Square – Mega scale vs Human Scale

After the Chelsea Fringe, Broadgate were keen the chairs be moved to a second public space for installation. Outside the entranceway to Broadgate Tower, the mega structure steel buttresses bracing the tower can be seen in the background. We took care not to place the chairs over the blinding lights embedded in the pavements. Used to up-light the tree canopies, they could get quite hot during the evenings.

This was outside the front entrance of the then newly completed Broadgate Tower. Huge steel buttresses bracing the tower can be seen in the background.

The impressive engineered steel buttressing near the entrance was designed to structurally brace the building. However when it comes to the daily routines of people walking and waiting near the entranceway, there wasn’t much for them to interact with or relate to! Above all the contrast between the cold precision made modern building and our installation hand-made from warm upcycled materials really struck us. Certainly we believe our multisensory design added something warmer and kinder to this environment which the human body could engage with.

Our installation dates were warmly extended by Broadgate Estates, who invited us to keep our chairs here for a further three weeks.

Scent oriented design invites you to smell, touch, and taste.

Scent oriented design creates moments of intimacy, inviting users to engage with the other senses ignored by modern design. Touch, smell, sounds and even taste, should you care to eat a mint leaf!

Mint
I sense you near me
I am arrested by your presence
Admonish the churning within me
With your cool and cleansing essence
Australia to the Mediterranean
You spread your stolons and rise
From moist subterranean
Lest in drought you court demise
In the silkiness of dark chocolate
Or whilst steeped in steamy pure
Who can reject their fate
Beneath your saucy demur
In guises from apple to pepper
Yearly you return and grow
And I admit feeling a tad happier
When you cause the mojitos to flow
Mint
---
Curt Brown

5 posts of Scents-u-all Love:

We hope you enjoyed reading this post about our project Scents-u-all-love. We have split this story into 5 posts:

  1. The first post explores our project ideas, multisensory design and the development of our design for construction and installation.
  2. The second post describes the public space installations at Broadgate; for the Chelsea Fringe Festival and then outside Broadgate tower.(this post)
  3. The third post describes scent oriented design installations at Canada Square and Bell Square.
  4. The fourth post describes the installation at Wimbledon Piazza and the interactive public art event.
  5. The fifth and final post describes the construction process. We present a guide of how to make a scented chair for yourself.

Please contact us if you would like to discuss your public space installation project.

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