Smell of Data
by Leanne Wijnsma (The Netherlands)

Project lead: Leanne Wijnsma & Froukje Tan
Perfumer: Leanne Wijnsma with ScentAir
Code: Jip de Beer
Scent dispenser prototype: Robert van Leeuwen
Design: Leanne Wijnsma
Camera: Froukje Tan, Leanne Wijnsma
Photography: Simone C. Niquille
Editing: Kristen Scharold
Website: Kris Borgerink
Release: August, 2016, Science Museum London
Website: smellofdata.com
Finalist Category: Sadakichi Award for Experimental Work with Scent, 2017

The sense of smell helped early humans to survive. But now that our hunting and gathering has moved to the digital environment, our noses can no longer warn us of the lurking dangers in the online wilderness. The Smell of Data is a new scent created to instinctively alert internet users of data leaks on personal devices.

Leanne Wijnsma’s work uses design as a tool for research and experience in an urgency to reflect on the human condition. She investigates the relationship between freedom and technology through smell design and subterranean explorations. Wijnsma is interested in addressing the instinctual within us by creating experiences for our senses, trusting that instinct evokes an inherent truth. Her studio is based in Amsterdam.