Olfactory Archives

Olfactory Archives invites readers to reflect on how we can approach conservation in ways that go beyond preserving bricks and mortar, focusing instead on the essence of lived experiences within these spaces. These buildings are more than their physical form; they are vessels for memories, stories, and lives that have shaped them.

This project seeks to offer a language for discussing the various possibilities of conserving our built heritage in the future.

In exploring alternative methods of conservation, the author aims to provoke a deeper conversation: how can we ensure that the spirit of these places endures, even as their structures change or disappear? Let us find ways to pass down these intangible qualities through generations, preserving not buildings, but the emotional and cultural ties they represent.

How would you say goodbye to a place that holds meaning for you? And how would you choose to remember it, for yourself and those who come after?

— from Ng Choon Wee

What about your sense of smell?

This is a compilation of a student's project (of such fab quality!) about how preserving built heritage goes beyond conserving physical facades. Intangible experiences and memories matter too, and he explores it through the olfactory aspects of People's Park Complex that make the place unique. 

I love the idea of providing an entire embodied sensory experience in heritage education - enjoy this read!



— Li Lin, SD