Sissel Tolaas, a Norwegian artist and scientist, is not your typical historian. Her domain of expertise lies not in dusty tomes or fading photographs, but in the ethereal realm of scents.
The Library of Smells, her brainchild, is a remarkable collection that chronicles her unique journey into the world of olfactory history. Tolaas, armed with hundreds of chemical compounds, ventures where others dare not tread. She resurrects long-forgotten scents from objects, places, and even entire historical epochs. This extensive olfactory collection, numbering in the thousands, stands as proof of her dedication to preserving and sharing the essence of human experiences.
Unlike traditional historians who rely on words and visuals, Tolaas captures the essence of history through our most primal sense: smell. In her library, you won’t find dusty old tomes full of dry prose. Instead, she lets the scents speak for themselves, offering a raw and unfiltered connection to the past.
Tolaas challenges us to expand our understanding of history beyond the confines of sight and sound. In her world, we delve into the forgotten aromas of time, joining her on a unique sensory journey through the scent-scape of our shared human experience.
Top image: Library of Smells. Source: brillianata / Adobe Stock.
