This video - supported by the Europeana Research Community - explores Odeuropa, a European initiative which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to investigate the importance of scents and smelling in cultural heritage.
ODEUROPA - Negotiating Olfactory and Sensory Experiences in Cultural Heritage Practice and Research - is the first European initiative to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to investigate the importance of scents and smelling, and to discover how scents have moulded our communities and traditions.
In this video, the project’s researchers take the viewer through representations of smells in historic images to smelling the recreated fragrance in a museum, opening a new way to experience a painting and engage with the historic period it represents. They share the potential and challenges our computer vision team faces while teaching the computer to ‘see’ a scent, and develop a multisensory appreciation for visual artworks. Finally, they go from the screen to the process of presenting historically relevant scents smells back to museum visitors, conveying smells’ significance as part of our cultural heritage.
Concept: Dr Cecilia Bembibre Jacobo