果冻影院

Thesis title:听Smell of Heritage

Primary supervisor:听Prof. Matija Strli膷
Secondary supervisor:听Susanne Kuechler
Starting date:听2015
Projected completion date:听2019
Sponsor (if applicable):听EPSRC (CDT SEAHA), The National Trust, Odournet Ltd.

Our collective knowledge of the past is odourless. Yet, smells play a powerful role in our daily lives and individual memories can be considered part of our intangible cultural heritage, not only for their own value, but through their connections to language, tradition and tourism. This project aims to define historic smells in relation to heritage, and to highlight their value.

Research about scientific methods of analysis and documentation of smells are central to this project. The chosen methods are gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection, preceded by solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME). Gas Chromatography Time of Flight Analysis (GC-TOF) and gas chromatography analysis with olfactometric detection (GC-O) are also being researched.听

Our vocabulary to talk about smells is very limited. Identifying the words to characterise heritage smells is part of the project, which is being explored via sensory evaluation and text mining of historic sources.听

A number of smells from Knole House (National Trust) are the focus of case study work involving capture, analysis and reproduction. Smells will be presented to the public to explore how historic odours affect the ways in which people interact with heritage sites.听

Follow the progress on the project and on the .

Biography

Cecilia completed her PhD at 果冻影院 ISH / EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology (SEAHA CDT) programme. She previously researched smell at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Buenos Aires. Cecilia is interested in an interdisciplinary approach to smell and the preservation of olfactory heritage. She collaborates with The National Trust, St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral and BMAG, as well as with industries exploring the potential of GC-O characterisation of historic odours. In addition, she has 15+ years of publishing and organisational experience.

Research interests

• Historic smells
• VOC analysis
• GC sniffing
• Vocabulary on Olfaction
• Sensory analysis
• Heritage interpretation

Awards and funding

• 2013/15听 The Birmingham Museums Trust Heritage Science Bursary
• 2016/18听 EPSRC SEAHA CDT Studentship (with The National Trust)