Museum of Smells bridges the narrative world of the picturebook The Smell of a Dragonfly with the physical space of the gallery, adding to the act of reading a multisensory experience. Just as the story’s protagonist and her companion dog, Momo, gather special aromas in glass jars, the installation creates an archive dedicated to sensory memory from imaginary world of the book.
Each glass vessel has hand-sculpted objects from the book, paired with olfactory landscapes. Moving beyond visual illustration, the installation treats scent as a sensory bridge between the physical artwork with the visitor's inner world.
As visitors lean in and inhale, the installation opens up an intuitive dialogue between the familiar and the unknown. Some aromas invite free association, questions, and playful narratives without giving answers. Others might carry familiar notes that unlock personal history, transporting visitors back to forgotten everyday moments, allowing each person to pay attention and celebrate their own private museum of memories.
Pictures by Kseniya Apresian
Neurotitan gallery, Berlin