Brian Goeltzenleuchter. Smelling the City (2013).

In Smelling the City (2013), American artist Brian Goeltzenleuchter explores how scent can shape our sense of place, community, and identity. Conducted in San Diego and later adapted for other cities, the project involved gathering survey data from residents about their neighborhoods.focusing not just on geography, but on memories, social dynamics, and emotional associations .

Using this data, Goeltzenleuchter collaborated with perfumers to create custom scent profiles for different areas of the city. These scents were then distributed to museum visitors based on the ZIP code they provided upon entry, allowing each person to receive and wear the scent representing their own neighborhood.

By transforming abstract social data into a personal, olfactory experience , Smelling the City encourages people to reflect on how scent connects us to place. and how urban identity is shaped not just by what we see or hear, but by what we smell. The project also underscores scent’s power to evoke belonging, memory, and even socio-economic difference in ways that are subtle but deeply felt.

More than just a scent-based artwork, Smelling the City is a participatory, sensory map of civic identity , inviting us to consider how we carry our cities with us.on our skin, in our breath, and through our senses.