Hi Jennifer, You would be surprised how cost effective it is to use synthetic scents for your interactives. Many scents are "off-the-shelf" allowing for easy customization. As has been previously mentioned, I'd suggest at least contacting Lorane Wasserman of Escential Resources at (310)534-3481 or [log in to unmask] to see what she has on offer. The resulting ease of maintenance and reduced risk of allergens is worth the investment. Regards, Larry Fisher Planner+Designer+Imagineer Bristol, RI (401) 965-7756 [log in to unmask] On 4/12/2012 4:49 PM, Jennifer Vess wrote: > > We are in the process of developing a scent interactive for an > exhibition at our museum. It will not be ambient, because we want > visitors to distinguish between more than one aroma. We hadn't > considered allergies and sensitivities until this came up in the > discussion (which we are following with great interest!). Our question > is, if we have a capped bottle for each scent (probably a combination > of essential oils), clearly labeled with ingredients so that people > who might be sensitive can avoid them, will the occasional opening of > a bottle in the gallery present an allergy hazard? The approach we've > been considering has the advantage of being low cost, easily > customizable, and very low tech. > > Jennifer > > Archivist, Curatorial Assistant > > Jewish Museum of Maryland > > 15 Lloyd Street > > Baltimore, MD 21202 > > 410-732-6400 x213 > > [log in to unmask] > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > *From:*Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > *On Behalf Of *Larry Fisher > *Sent:* Wednesday, April 11, 2012 2:09 PM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: [MUSEUM-L] Creating a smell station for an exhibit > > 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] <mailto:[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> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > 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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