scents of us
An Immersive Exploration of Scent and Self
In response to the NYC Media Lab and CHANEL’s 2024 Virtual Synesthesia Challenge, "Scents of Us" emerged as a groundbreaking installation designed to answer a bold question: How can one leverage scent and synesthesia to tell a story in bold new ways? This immersive work, created by the Scentience team—Vince Picone, M Dougherty, Adnan Aga, Una Zhang, and Shuang Cai—invites participants into a sensory dialogue where the unseen world of scent becomes vividly tangible. By blending analog fragrances with digital visuals and sound, it transforms olfaction into a dynamic, personal narrative. Honored with the Innovation Award at the Challenge’s Showcase on March 5, 2024, "Scents of Us" captivated audiences and judges alike with its pioneering approach.
The Physical Experience
Step into a minimalist yet mesmerizing space: a large LED wall looms ahead, flanked by four pillars, each crowned with an analog diffuser. These diffusers hold four distinct scents—Gamma Decalactone (sweet peach), Limonene D (zesty citrus), Linalool (soft lavender), and Benzaldehyde (bitter almond-cherry)—shared by both humans and nature. The screen mirrors the room, reflecting your image as a shimmering cloud of particles. Approach a pillar, and your digital “scent cloud” comes alive, swirling around you. Press the diffuser’s pump, and a fragrance bursts into the air; simultaneously, a vibrant cascade of colors erupts on-screen, intertwining with your own particle form. This interplay of scent, sight, and sound creates an intimate, ever-shifting encounter with the invisible..
The Technical
The magic of "Scents of Us" lies in its elegant integration of technology and craft. Four analog diffusers, mounted on stands, are equipped with pressure sensors and ESP32 microcontrollers to release precise bursts of fragrance. A ZED camera captures participants’ movements, feeding real-time data to a Motion Capture (MOCAP) system that renders their image as a particle cloud on the LED screen. Triggering a diffuser activates both scent and a synchronized explosion of colored particles, blending seamlessly with the viewer’s digital form. Portable Wi-Fi ensures connectivity, while speakers add an auditory dimension. The setup requires only pedestals, a projector, and speakers from the host, making it adaptable yet impactful.
"Scents of Us" redefines scent as more than a background sense—it’s a storyteller. The installation delves into the molecular overlap between human bodies and the natural world, using fragrances that resonate in both realms.
Gamma decalactone is sweet and fruity, found in stone fruits like peach. Limonene D is found in all citrus, Linalool is the primary constituent of lavender, but is also found in hundreds of botanicals. Benzaldehyde is the smell of bitter almond and cherry.
With minimal guidance, it beckons curiosity, letting participants uncover how scent shapes perception and identity. Inspired by perfumers who evoke aroma through visuals and sound, this project pushes further, making scent a participatory medium. Through synesthesia, it bridges the intangible and the visible, revealing the profound, often unnoticed influence of olfaction on our lives and surroundings.
The Team
We are a team of artists, designers, and creative technologists interested in how to use technology to challenge our preconceivednotion of perception and bodily experience. The team met through academic pursuits at the New York University Tisch School, specifically, the Interactive Telecommunications Program, where advancing technology is used in novel ways, which push the boundaries of each student’s prospective field.
Vince Picone, a Brooklyn-based software engineer and designer, crafts immersive, user-driven experiences that blur the physical and digital.
M Dougherty, a nonbinary artist and researcher, fuses art and science to explore scent as a medium for memory and connection.
Adnan Aga, a multimedia artist and congenital anosmic, brings a whimsical lens to interactive design, informed by a unique perspective on scent.
Una Zhang, an experience designer with a research background, reimagines the familiar through multisensory storytelling.
Shuang Cai, a curator and multimedia artist, weaves logic, humor, and interconnectedness into her creative practice.
Award: Innovation Award - NYC Media Lab and CHANEL | 2024 Virtual Synesthesia Challenge
Premiered at NYU Tandon @ the Yard on March 5, 2024, "Scents of Us" stood out among six innovative teams, earning accolades for its bold execution and fresh perspective on scent-driven storytelling.