London’s history is right under our nose

London stinks. Well it did not so long ago, when the wind blew to the east carrying the smells of vinegar brewing and matchstick making, and a heady mix of plastics and chemicals across the city.

Goldsmiths, University of London will host a unique event on Friday 27 February in New Cross to explore how our sense of smell has shaped life in London.

The Body in the City Symposium brings together experts to discuss how our senses have influenced London’s boroughs, architecture and culture.  

Professor Alex Rhys-Taylor, Goldsmiths’ Department of Sociology will explore how the smells from London’s past helped build the city, as we know it today and explain how our sense of smell is integral to our attachment to specific places.

“In terms of sensory loss, people place smell loss at the bottom of those that matter. But to lose the sense of smell is to lose one of the key ways in which we anchor ourselves in culture and social relations. 

“This event, held on Anosmia Awareness Day, illustrates the importance of our fifth sense and reminds us of the huge role our sense of smell plays in memory, mood and emotion." 

Duncan Boak, Founder of Fifth Sense, who lost his sense of smell, as the result of a severe head injury will also discuss how smell contributes to our experience and enjoyment of life. 

 

Find out more about London’s smelly past and present at the The Body in the City Symposium on Friday 27 February 

Friday 27 February is also Anosmia Awareness Day which recognises smell and taste disorders often caused by head injury, illness or age.

Read more about London's smelly past and present on the Londonist and Time Out. 

 

Credit: Photo by Zefrographica from the Londonist Flickr pool