Ode to Smell is part of our ongoing research into the tumultuous relationship between Singapore and its weather. The way heat, rain, and humidity shape the percept of our environs and invigorates our senses are fast becoming obscure with the proliferation of Junkspace within our city. This continuum of air-conditioned spaces further fuels the aversion to the outdoors, turning us into de-sensitized beings and neutralizing our haptic appreciation of the surroundings. Are there then no merits to the Singapore weather? 

One oft overlooked quality of our hot and humid tropical climate is its ability to kick up, amplify and bring to the forefront a palette of daily smells, from petrichor to petroleum, defining for us specific characteristics of different places. While we might forget the features of the constantly changing landform of Singapore, most would find it hard to forget the sickly sweet smell of the fallen leaves and flora during the monsoon season. The ground, with its undergrowth, at once becomes an alibi for the often-maligned weather as it is in defining the character of the place. 

Extending this observation to our research, we seek to document such nuances in selected locations  across the island where the specific scent memory of these places is often undermined. The materials on the ground of these locations are collected, and their scents extracted via various mediums. These unique scents are then reintroduced through a humidifier, recording and exhibiting each locale’s scent-scape, pulling from the depths of our lives with a whiff, a specific memory of that space. Through this exploration, we hope to provide a respite for our weather, catalysing a new found appreciation for the heat, rain and humidity.