Artwork class stinks! Study with odor in artwork class utilizing this olfactory show

By Maria Nikoli, Interplay Designer, MSc., Malmö College

Smelling is essential to our on a regular basis residing. However how effectively do we actually perceive the function that smells play in our day-to-day? Ask somebody who briefly misplaced their sense of odor due to COVID-19. They’ll in all probability inform you about how extremely boring consuming turned impulsively, and the way their roomies saved them from consuming a foul-smelling, spoiled block of cheese that had zero mould on it. 

The sense of odor is tremendous essential, because it makes life pleasurable, and helps us detect hazard. It’s additionally intrinsically linked to reminiscence and emotion. You in all probability know what it’s prefer to odor one thing and get an immediate flashback – it virtually seems like time journey. 

But, olfaction (a flowery phrase for the sense of odor) is commonly neglected in each HCI and artwork training. Constructing on that, “Artwork Class Stinks!” is an interactive system for studying with odor in artwork class whereas serving to the scholars grow to be extra conscious of their sense of odor.

The prototype consists of two elements. The primary part is a cell app that guides the consumer via processes of studying and being inventive with odor, provides directions for inventive duties and odor consciousness duties, and archives the customers’ artwork. The second part is an olfactory show (OD). The OD consists of a scent package and an Arduino-powered interactive board outfitted with LED lights and RFID tag readers. Navigating the app, the consumer will get prompted to do a number of inventive duties utilizing the scents for inspiration. In addition they get prompted to do odor identification duties to lift their very own consciousness of their sense of odor. The interactive board hyperlinks every scent notice to the software program and in addition signifies the methods through which the consumer can sniff the scent notes. 

Discover out extra about this challenge on Instagram (@marianikolistudio) and Malmö College’s digital archive.