Hi Faye, I think one of the inherit issues with scents in exhibits has to do with the execution of the scent itself. I've seen many interactives and ambient scents in exhibitions that use essential oils and other natural materials to produce the scent. These are problematic for several reasons, one of which is allergic reactions. Other issues are the oils tend to dry out and other natural materials can decompose or begin to break down, also causing problems. I specifically mentioned in my prior post Larane Wasserman at Escential Resources because her method uses dry media and the scents are synthetic thus avoiding the very issues you bring up. Another advantage to using synthetic scents is that the scent is designed to bring out the essential components that a guest would associate with that smell or environment. By approaching the smell this way, one does not have to rely on the notion of using a "strong" or overwhelming scent in order to achieve the desired effect. In either case, I was also trying to make the point that introducing ambient scents such as those suggested by Caitlyn in her original question, are often better introduced as a contextual "background" scent or combination of scents as in Caitlyn's examples (in this case a "strong scent" would be overpowering), instead of the guest having to engage in a contrived interaction. As with any "interactive" I would ask what is the purpose and, why am I asking the guest to engage in this activity? If the activity is intended to draw the guest's attention to specific characteristics of a scent, to compare scents, or perhaps the scent is undesirable (like rotting meat), then the interactive makes sense. If the scent is there to provide context to a scene or theme, I would go back to having it be an ambient experience. Best, Larry On 4/11/2012 1:00 PM, Faye Goolrick wrote: > > We have done scent boxes (lift the lid) for children's museums, and > they are always popular. Strong scents work best. One problem with > having a motion-activated or ambient scent all the time is that these > can be a problem for people with allergies. I'd be careful with this > approach. > > fg > > *From:*Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > *On Behalf Of *Larry Fisher > *Sent:* Wednesday, April 11, 2012 11:10 AM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: [MUSEUM-L] Creating a smell station for an exhibit > > Listserv members, > > One thing to bear in mind is whether your use of scents should be an > "interactive" experience such as that described by Caitlyn and Jen, or > a passive experience where the scent(s) are part of the exhibition > environment. I've found that it is often much more effective to > introduce scent(s) into an experience and allow the guest to > "discover" them on their own. The magic of unexpectedly discovering > the scent is much more memorable than being directed to lift a lid, > push a button, etc. It is the ultimate interactive experience. > > There are times where scent on demand is appropriate, for example when > comparing scents or calling attention to specific attributes of a > scent. However, for my two cents worth, if you are creating a scent as > part of an environment it is better to introduce it naturally instead > of by way of some device simply for the purpose of having another > "interactive". > > If you prefer not to introduce the scent(s) when their are no guests > in the exhibition, simply utilize a motion detector to trigger the > scent dispersal when a guest enters the space. Combined with a timer, > this method can also prevent "over-introduction" of the scent during > peak visitation. > > Larry Fisher > Planner, Designer, Imagineer > > On 4/11/2012 10:41 AM, Jennifer L. Hart wrote: > > Caitlyn, > > I've seen this done with an exhibit before and people really liked it! > It has to be something that is fairly distinct, so when you go to > smell it you know it. If it's a smell where the person is not sure > that it's working, then it kinda loses the fun. They used small scent > bottles that were housed in boxes with a lid over it; when you lifted > the lid you could smell what was inside. > > Good luck! > > Jen Hart > > *From:*Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > *On Behalf Of *Caitlyn Perry Dial > *Sent:* Wednesday, April 11, 2012 9:29 AM > *To:* [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > *Subject:* [MUSEUM-L] Creating a smell station for an exhibit > > Fellow listserv members, > > I am interested in creating a smell station for my museum's next > exhibit and I am wondering what your experiences are in creating them, > the costs, reactions to them from the public, or any related words of > advice for creating this type of interactive. Would the smells need to > be refreshed over time? This station would include smells relating the > kinds found in a Civil War camp and possibly a dry goods store from > the 1860s. > > Thank you in advance for your replies! > > Caitlyn > > -- > > Caitlyn Perry Dial > PhD Candidate > Department of History > Western Michigan University > [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 > <http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1> > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 > <http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1> > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 > <http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 > <http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1> > ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . 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