For two consecutive years we designed a workshop held at Sonar+D for the non-profit Shestem. We wanted to work in an unknown field of science, so we picked an unknown field of research and focused on the olfactory sense, which is something highly experiential, in order to encourage teens to enrol in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers.
The first year, we collaborated with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. Through using a brainwave monitor we discovered how, in each person, different smells activate different areas of the brain, so we could understand what smell creates a feeling of relaxation in each participant. With this data we created a wearable perfume dispenser with a heartbeat sensor, so when the participant gets nervous, the dispenser diffuses the relaxing smell.
The second year, we collaborated with Beka Iglesias. The proposal was to link smell and sound as a way to understand the power of synesthesia. Each smell was linked to a physical place and Beka designed a specific sound for it. Participants could create a sound composition and then a perfume composition based on the sound. We also designed and 3D printed ceramic cones. Their shapes were a representation of each sound wave and each cone contained a specific perfume created by us.
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