Of all the ways we relate to the natural world it could be said that the human sense of smell is by turns our most powerful sense and yet also our weakest link with the rest of Nature. Scents can transport us, can help us form enduring memories, proves the link between our olfactory system and our limbic system.
The human nose and brain can detect 1 trillion different odours yet we have inadequate language to describe them, often amalgamate them into collective smells (“it smells like a forest”) and struggle to quieten our mind in Nature and become one with the odours. With contributions from Ella Roberts, Sam Lee, Devi Singh and Gina Gow, we attempt to make sense of scents.
Music from Colin Williams
Some of the ideas and references we make in this podcast can be found here:
Jasmine
Tom Robbins
Sam Lee
Nature
Moroccan souk
Herb Robert
Peak District
Patrick Süskind
Freshwater Mint
Meadowsweet
Adam Thorpe
Wiltshire Downs
Hiraeth
Cistus
Wild Thyme
Cairngorms
Cuban cigar
Fern Schumer Chapman
Balsam Poplar
Tamarack Song
Aldo Leopold
Red Fox
Henry Beston
Sagebrush
Yellowstone
Western Meadowlark
White Sage
Bay of Fundy
Bougainvillaea
Fungi
Amanita
Neroli
Rosemary
