Kate McLean-MacKenzie is on a mission to document how the world smells.
The designer and researcher at the University of Kent is creating an atlas of global “smellscapes”.
Her project began after noticing that images and sounds are easily shared, while smells are not.
To fill that gap, she invites volunteers to take guided “smell walks” through cities.
Participants record scents, their strength, duration, emotional impact, and personal associations.
McLean-MacKenzie turns this data into visual maps and cultural narratives.
Since 2011, she has mapped smells in 40 locations worldwide.
These include Glasgow, Paris, Kyiv, Kolkata, and Amsterdam.
The maps capture fleeting moments rather than permanent truths.
She compares them to impressionist paintings, shaped by time and movement.
McLean-MacKenzie believes the atlas could become a historical record.
Future cities may smell very different due to changing technology and climate.
She hopes the work encourages people to engage more deeply with their senses.
Smell, she says, reveals personal stories and cultural differences often overlooked.
