People are sniffing the scent display (photo: Marieke Balk)
Frisian scent display on tour through Fryslân. Come and have a sniff!
Workshops
To find answers to these questions, researchers from the Meertens Institute are going on a tour in collaboration with the Fryske Akademy. Come and explore the scents of the specially designed scent cabinet and share your experiences, memories and stories! The scent cabinet is on tour throughout Friesland:
- From 14 September to 2 October: Academie van Franeker
- On Saturday 3 October: Science Weekend – Campus Fryslân, Leeuwarden
- From 6 to 27 October: Tresoar, Leeuwarden
Workshops will also be held on:
- Sunday 20 September, Franeker Academy. Workshop led by Eveline de Smalen
- Saturday 3 October, Science Weekend (Campus Fryslân, Leeuwarden). Workshop led by Lesine Möricke
- Tuesday 20 October, Tresoar, Leeuwarden. Workshop led by Eveline de Smalen
Scientists and perfumers on a scent walk through Fryslân
The team also regularly goes on ‘scent walks’ to various locations in Friesland. Last June, the scent hunt focused on the natural landscape of the Sneekermeer. In this video from the Fryske Akademy, you can see how lead researcher Inger Leemans follows her nose and how she records the scent experiences. That can sometimes be quite a task. Leemans: “Actually, you use the same words all the time to describe scent experiences that are so different. It smells fresh here by the water, but it’s a very different kind of freshness to when you’re by the sea.”
Aukje Dantuma (from the perfume house International Flavours & Fragrances) and Jeroen Wiersma (from Landschapsbeheer Friesland) also joined in the sniffing.
Research project ‘A Nose for Heritage’
The search for Frisian scents forms part of the research project ‘A Nose for Heritage’, in which researchers from the Meertens Institute are collaborating with creative designers and perfumers to explore the scents of the Frisian countryside and ‘bring them to the fore’. They hope this will give smell a more prominent place in heritage policy. Partners include the Fryske Akademy, IFF (International Flavours & Fragrances) and designer Lotte Meeuwissen.
Would you like to take part in the survey?
People from Friesland, Frisians living outside Friesland, or anyone with a connection to Friesland are warmly invited to take part in the research project by completing the online questionnaire. This is available in both Frisian and Dutch.
More information about the project
- About the research project ‘A Nose for Heritage’
Media coverage of ‘A Nose for Heritage’
The scent cabinet is on tour across Friesland:
- 14 September – 2 October: Academie van Franeker
- 3 October: Science Weekend, Campus Fryslân Leeuwarden
- 6 October – 27 October: Tresoar, Leeuwarden
Workshops
Workshops will also be held on:
Sunday 20 September, Academie van Franeker. Workshop led by Eveline de Smalen
Saturday 3 October, Science Weekend at Campus Fryslân in Leeuwarden. Workshop led by Lesine Möricke
Monday 20 October, Tresoar, Leeuwarden. Workshop led by Eveline de Smalen.