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sushideception · 4 months

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Scent Memories: The Rubin Museum

A few months ago, I visited the Rubin Museum, a beautiful little gem of a place exhibiting Himalayan Buddhist art. One floor of the museum is dedicated to interactive exhibits; when I went, there was a row of monitors and a table at the back with books.

Each monitor had a little aperture at the top that sprayed a scented mist, and a screen that played a brief video presentation about the smell and what it meant to the artist who designed it (who knew there were scent artists?). One was the smell of earth after rain, one was the smell of a waterfall, I don't remember the others. The exhibit was about the link between smell and memory. The multimedia presentations were nice, but my favourite part was the back of the room, where there was a red table strewn with books and pencils.

They were blank white paperbacks, square, and each page was the same template: WHEN I SMELL ________, I REMEMBER _________

I couldn't stop reading the entries that visitors had filled out. They were funny, heartfelt, nostalgic, sweet, sad, homesick, beautiful. I wanted to steal one of the books but I knew it wouldn't be right--instead I scrawled my own entry and took photos of as many as I could before moving on. I've included all the photos I took, as well as transcriptions below.

WHEN I SMELL Patchouli, I REMEMBER My mother

She was always wearing something that smelled this even if it was a cologne. I didn't like it. It embarrassed me because it was so strong. Now I miss it and think of her anytime I smell it

WHEN I SMELL My grandmother's perfume, I REMEMBER the fun and special times we had together. I remember us doing movie night and making sandwiches + all sorts of fun.

I wish I knew what it was called.

WHEN I SMELL wood/paint, I REMEMBER... [drawing of a hardware store]

WHEN I SMELL Lilac, I REMEMBER the Lilac Bush in the driveway by the side of our house-- it was my moms favorite--

WHEN I SMELL a smoke, I REMEMBER... home (Delhi), the smell of agarbhati always brings me back

WHEN I SMELL Bushell's leaf tea, I REMEMBER My Nana's clothes and gifts she brought us when she visited. She would pack cardboard boxes of Bushell's leaf tea in between her clothes in her suitcase so we would have plenty of Australian tea in the US. We would gather round in our dressing gowns as soon as we got up and sip tea together. I still take Bushell's wherever I go in the world, and its scent and taste are calming and centering as I start my day.

WHEN I SMELL Rose, I REMEMBER My grandmother who always wears Rose scented lotion. She is my inspiration and one of my favorite People.

WHEN I SMELL chicken + rice, I REMEMBER my mom making her African chicken and rice on days when she didn't plan out dinner. My older sister and I hated when we could smell it cause we wanted to eat out at Chipotle or Chick-fil-a. Now I crave that meal and ask my mom to make it everytime I'm home from college

WHEN I SMELL bleau (?) by Chanel*, I REMEMBER my old friend/prom date

*This is not an ad!

I moved to a new school for my senior year of high school & became good friends with this one boy. He liked to wear Bleau by Chanel and I'd steal his jacket from his locker - which we shared - and wear it for the rest of the day. He was also my date for prom - it was one of the best nights I've ever had.

WHEN I SMELL corn chip, I REMEMBER my dog Jade and taking a nap with her. Very peaceful she always smells like corn chips :)

WHEN I SMELL GOJO, I REMEMBER... DAD WASHING HIS HANDS AT THE LEE MYLES IN OAKDALE

WHEN I SMELL ~20°F cold winter air, I REMEMBER walking home from the bus stop in the suburbs of Illinois. I like winter but also one of my most vivid memories walking home is slipping on black ice + falling on my ass. [my mind creature]

WHEN I SMELL Diptyque OLENE, I REMEMBER... Oo. I think of you, and that summer that seemed endless. I remember the sunshine and the green grapevines

I remember you smoking in front of me, speaking out your feelings about me. I remember me knowing nothing about our path but still feel infinite happiness. Sometimes I hope I could stay there and never wake up from that sweet dream. I'll just keep this a secret.

WHEN I SMELL apples, I REMEMBER San Francisco

I spent a summer working in SF. Nothing glamorous, but I was in love. With a new city, my newfound individuality, with possiblity. That summer I developed an allergy to apples, which made me more sad than I'd like to admit. I also got my heart broken. I always remember SF fondly, though.

WHEN I SMELL stinky tofu, I REMEMBER summers in my childhood spent running around Beijing with friends I had made off of the street without a care in the world

WHEN I SMELL mitsubishi wall AC, I REMEMBER...

[Chai! Chai! Chai!

The motherland right after power comes back on]

WHEN I SMELL Jazz Club, I REMEMBER... Christmastime datenight in a rooftop glass cabin in the South Seaport. Red wine flowing, fake fire burning, grad school fatigue and covid anxiety, brussel sprouts and mac n cheese.

WHEN I SMELL Contradiction, I REMEMBER The bottle of Calvin Klein perfume I received from a lover during a getaway in Venice in 2000. The perfume has since been discontinued but I keep the 23-year old bottle in a drawer in my old bedroom in Brooklyn to savor at random times when I want to think of that life-altering trip. I recall the mist over the lagoon at dawn as my vaporetto brought me close to shore. Then my mind drifts to the bedroom in the Hotel Campanello where I received the bottle...

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did. I didn't take a photo of what I added to the book; but when I smell basil, I remember going out to the backyard to pick basil in the summer so my mom could make pesto. I would fill up a big metal bowl with the shiny leaves. My hands always smelled fragrant and floral afterwards.

#in the world

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