When we announced Odeuropa last November, we couldn’t have dreamed that it would be received with so much enthusiasm. As the research teams kick off the programme, we’d like to share an overview of the international response to Odeuropa’s launch from the media, research community and general public, which is already developing into a wider conversation into the relevance of smell in our lives and how the idea of olfactory heritage resonates with a large variety of audiences.
Not only in Europe, but around the globe, the project was widely covered by feature articles and in-depth interviews, for instance by the Spanish scientific news agency, Le Monde, La Stampa, La Repubblica, Deutschland Radio, NPO Radio 1, Delo, El País, CNET, and CNN. The Guardian, The New York Times and The Sunday Times reported on our research aims and innovative approach, along with the BBC.
From a video by Indonesian YouTube channel The Shiny Peanut (+12M subscribers) which animated members of our research team to a thoughtful reflection by the Times of Israel of the power of scent to overcome ignorance and communicate on a subject as complex as the Holocaust, we were delighted to see that so many people across the world share our curiosity to explore the potential of olfactory heritage.
People shared the scents they considered meaningful in comments about nostalgic memories or fragrant experiences, and even reflections about covid-related loss of smell. The New York Times, inspired by Odeuropa, invited their readers to imagine a museum of smells and worked with artist Janie Korn to produce a series of one-off candles inspired by the project.
We are honoured and intensely happy to engage with these and the many other responses we received. In the next weeks and months, we will start to explore how we can accommodate new collaborations and keep expanding our network. Please stay tuned for information here on our website and via Twitter @odeuropa.