Reflections on Post - Interview Process
In between visits to the labs and interview sessions with the elderly at the home, I finalised a list of scents and fragrances I thought would best reflect and capture the essence of memories that have been told orally.
A main problem I identified among the elderly during the scent tests, was that the scents smelt familiar to them but they were not able to identify the scents.
But this isn't just limited to the elderly. Whenever we smell something, we think we know what it is but it can be ever so hard to describe what it is, let alone talk about it. Furthermore, I have observed that the older generation do not really use much of their sense of smell, be it in the present or the past.
It is difficult and frustrating to communicate with the elderly, especially when it comes to getting their opinions regarding the scents. The language and generation gaps are make it hard for me to relate to their experiences - their thoughts, their mannerism, speech habits, way of life; everything just seems so different as compared to the present.
For the second scent test, I selected a variety of scents I felt were more relatable to the elderly - firecrackers, medicated oil, old books and shower soap etc. But judging from the results, the answers were not as ideal as expected.
In order to recreate a scent that smelt exactly like what the elderly had experience before is highly unlikely, that is, unless the actual product itself is used.
After much experimentation with the scents, the ones that the elderly were able to pick out were more distinct and simple; like firecrackers, coffee and fruits - those that had a distinct smell, were easier to guess.
Some of the scents that i wanted to include such as sewage water, incense, make up etc., were rejected as these compounds consist of too many elements and it would pose as a problem for the elderly as it was definitely harder to detect and duplicate.
Also, I feel that smell is fleeting - we are aware of the scents around us during the most random moments - such as the scent of garbage as you pass by a rubbish bin, the smell of incense as you walk by a temple or the homely nostalgic feeling you get when you sniff your neighbour's cooking.
So - how am I to go about finding scents that evoke positive responses from the elderly, when I was born in the 1990s and the elderly in the 20s? I guess, the least I can do was to replicate smell as similar to the original as possible and hopefully try to put myself in their shoes through the many talks with them.