French version available below
Perfumed letters, colorful flasks, scented ceramics, fragrant glass vases, scented jewelry, fragrant wooden boxes, vaporizers, scratch and sniff stickers, soaps, bio-noses, imaginary smell devices ; all of these are examples of odorous objects. From the intricate textures and shapes of perfume flasks to the aromatic clays and glass containers of past eras, the materials used to hold scent have changed over time and acquired various cultural and social significance.
Sensory studies approaches have revitalized the study of material culture by reorienting attention towards the life of “sensori-social” things (Howes, 2022) and bringing to light the types of agentivity, exchanges, and experiences that emerge out of interactions between objects, the senses, and socio cultural contexts. What becomes of perfume and smell when we cease to consider it as a simple emanation or pure olfactory experience and interrogate the materiality itself — that of shapes, gestures, and mediums that render it perceptible?
The receptacle exists in a strange relationship to its contents ; while it itself is visible, the scent it holds, the perfume it cherishes, is invisible. The play on presence and absence is central to the perfume, as the liquid we see does not indicate the notes of the perfume we are about to smell. It is this ephemeral quality to smell that creates interesting relationships to materials. A privileged interface — opaque or transparent, open or sealed — the flask represents both visible materiality and the volatile essence of perfume, it condenses an ambivalence where presence and absence coexist (Stamelman, 2006, 2022).
Profoundly complex, the way that smell works has long been misunderstood, leading to centuries of beliefs that belittle the importance of smell. Culturally situated and raising social, moral, political, scientific, religious, or aesthetic questions, these objects today represent useful mediums through which to think about smell. As tools for power and social distinction, as prophylactic instruments, and as routes to other dimensions, perfumes and their contents are inscribed in the history of art, in the history of perfumery, but also in the history of medicine and chemistry. Furthermore, while the usage and purpose of perfume changes from one time period to another, and one region to another, the odorant substances that make up these odorous objects come from around the world: a study of smells, thus, cannot exclude a large geographic coverage, and must address, in our present moment especially, colonial and ecological impacts.
Whether real or imagined, objects contribute to the atmosphere of a place and participate in the creation of a particular ambience. The ecological implications of the storage and disposal of olfactory objects bring to question the atmospheric, material qualities of these and their impacts on bodies. Olfactory objects can be tangible, real-world items, but also invented, imaginary, objects. In literary texts, for example, authors invent olfactory objects that have creative functions. In the dystopia Tè Mawon (2022) by Michael Roch, individuals wear headsets that can simulate “fake food” smells to satiate one’s hunger and mask the bad smells in one’s neighborhood. Smell and taste, the two chemical senses, are closely linked and evoked in unison throughout this dystopia. The evocation of food necessarily comes with smells and flavors, thus showing how odorous objects often involve important multimodal associations.
Due to their immersive and multisensorial nature, perfumes and odors evoke an ensemble of interlinked perceptions that go beyond the sense of smell alone. Synesthesia, an initially physiological phenomenon, has inspired creative initiatives ranging from branding and marketing stories to the creation of immersive environments. For example, a fragrance is often anticipated, prolonged, or translated using a color, a sound, a texture, or movement. The senses that are more difficult to represent — such as taste, touch, or smell — are thus mobilised through metaphors and linguistic slips in a multisensorial logic of correspondences.
To reflect the vastness and complexity of this topic, we invite propositions focused on any time period and any geographic location. While the focus of this conference is research in the humanities and social sciences, we welcome presentations from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) researchers in order to foster interdisciplinary conversations on the topic. Research on smell has been shaped by a variety of disciplines and necessitates a variety of perspectives. Likewise, olfactory aids (perfumes, scented objects, etc.) are welcome at the conference: we encourage presenters to not only talk about smell but also bring scents to be smelled when possible.
As part of our hybrid format we welcome two different types of propositions:
1) A formal research presentation
2) A creative exposition related to olfactory objects and devices
An explanation of each type of engagement can be found below:
1) A formal research presentation
Research participants will present their work for 20 minutes in organized panels, followed by a Q&A session. Presentations can be in French or English. We welcome papers related (but not limited) to the following topics:
Odor, object, and:
▪ Spirituality ▪ Medicine ▪ Imagination ▪ Environment ▪ Emotions ▪ Memory
▪ Gestures ▪ Agency
▪ Taste
▪ Aesthetics
▪ Art
▪ Genre(s)
▪ Materiality
▪ Technique and know-how ▪ Storage and conservation ▪ Economy
▪ Commerce, colonialism ▪ Linguistics
▪ Synesthesia
▪ Decomposition
2) A creative exposition related to olfactory objects and devices
As part of this conference, there will be an open exposition space for those wishing to present a creative research project, a new olfactory design, a perfume sample, or other. Each participant in this space will be offered a table where they can expose their work and talk freely with attendees who will explore the space during a set time in the conference program. Our hope is to encourage artists, designers, perfumers, artisans, and researchers to consider experimental, embodied, ways of researching olfaction.
The expositions may include, but are not limited to:
▪ olfactory devices or installations
▪ olfactory objects or artifacts accompanied by a scientific or theoretical research proposal ▪ olfactory design prototypes
▪ artworks that mobilize the medium of olfaction
▪ performances, sensory archives, or sensory narratives
⇒ For research presentations (option 1), we ask participants to submit an abstract of no more than 400 words including a title, description of your research project, and a bibliography. Please also include a short biography containing your name, research discipline, contact information, and University or laboratory affiliation.
⇒ For creative expositions (option 2), we ask participants to submit a description of your project or sample of no more than 400 words, including a title for your exposition and a description of the nature of the object or research exposition, the modality of your presentation, dimensions, and specifics regarding the installation of your project (if you need access to a power plug, ventilation, etc.). Please also include a biography containing your name, contact information, and description of past works and past engagements.
To participate, all proposals, written in French or English, must be sent by September 15, 2025, to theodorousobject@gmail.com
Please note that the conference is scheduled to take place in person on Friday, February 27 and Saturday, February 28, 2026 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA at Brown University.