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Stage of Life Exhibition Personal Summary

After completing the exhibition that used scent as a clue to depict the stages of life, I was left feeling both amazed and inspired, as it was the first time I had ever participated in such a project. I was excited to see how the team had successfully divided their labour, with each member contributing their unique skills to create a cohesive and impactful exhibition that used scent to represent the stages of life.

The exhibition was truly innovative and immersive, triggering a synesthesia experience where our senses of sight, hearing, and smell worked together to create a truly unforgettable experience. However, there were also some details that the team needed to reflect on during the process of the project.

One of the issues the team faced was the improper choice of direction in the early stage of the project. While smell can be an ancillary part of a project, it should not be the main factor. The team realized this mistake and adjusted their direction accordingly.

Another issue the team faced was confusion regarding the development of the project in the mid-term. The direction was adjusted three times within two weeks, and some materials could not be used. This created a sense of disorganization and caused delays in the project timeline.

The team also struggled with judgment regarding their own abilities. When the life selection system was designed, they wanted it to be completely private, with each person producing different results after choosing, which could be realized by using MAX. However, after learning this, they found that it was difficult to master this software in a short period of time, leading to a stalemate in their work for a period.

Finally, many of the forms of interaction envisioned in previous plans never materialized. This is because there is not enough time for exhibition arrangement and rehearsal, resulting in some deficiencies in the final presentation.

Despite these challenges, the exhibition is still going well. The team was able to overcome these issues by working together, making necessary adjustments, and being flexible.

Poster design

The theme of this poster is “STAGE OF LIFE”, which is a trance and summary of people’s life stages, so the picture reflects the sense of the future and mystery through the sacred, futuristic and religious landscape, the sun and the human scene. The poster also presents the theme meaning through colour transition changes, which gives the whole picture a sense of design and order.

Middle aged videos-themed

On the other hand, for the failure-themed video, I utilized the following design elements:

  • Sombre tones: To evoke a mood of melancholy and introspection, I utilized soft, pastel colours like greys, blues, and browns. These colours helped the audience understand the gravity of the situation and empathize with the character’s struggles.
  • Dim lighting: I used dim or low lighting to further emphasize the character’s loneliness and sadness.
  • Abstract and surreal design elements: I also included abstract and surreal design elements to represent the character’s inner thoughts and emotions. These elements helped viewers understand the character’s state of mind and empathize with their struggles.

 

Middle aged videos-family

I was tasked with creating two videos centred around the middle-aged life stage. Of the three options – success, family, and failure – I was responsible for two: family and loss.

For the family-themed video, I incorporated the following design elements:

  • Warm and inviting tones: To create a cosy and welcoming atmosphere, I utilized warm colours such as orange, yellow, and brown. These colours helped to convey the warmth of the home and instil a sense of comfort and relaxation.
  • Light and airy design elements: I also included design elements that were light and airy, like clouds, birds, and trees. These elements helped to foster a sense of peace and tranquillity.

Associations between odours and stages of life (Questionnaire)

Hello, thank you for filling out our questionnaire! We the postgraduate student from the University of Edinburgh conduct research on how different odours relate to different life stages. The questionnaire will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and your responses will be confidential. Thank you for participating.

 

1. When you smell this odour, what age group comes into your mind first? Please select at least one odour for each age group.

Age group: 出生 Born 成年 Eighteen 家庭 Family 暮年 Seniors 死亡 Dying

Odour: 洗衣液 (Laundry detergent) 花香 (Floral scent) 青草 (Grassy aroma) 雨后泥土 (Earthy smell after rain) 糖果 (Candy) 香草 (Vanilla) 蛋糕 (Cake) 奶粉 (Milk powder) 柑橘 (Citrus) 木头 (Wood) 烟熏味 (Smoky) 酒精 (Alcohol) 咖啡味 (Coffee) 汽油味 (Gasoline) 油墨 (Ink) 柴火燃烧 (Burning firewood) 肉桂 (Cinnamon) 八角 (Star anise) 黑胡椒 (Black pepper) 百里香 (Thyme) 皮革 (Leather) 烟草 (Tobacco) 发霉 (Musty) 酸味 (Sour) 茶叶味 (Tea) 药味 (Medicinal) 坚果 (Nuts) 消毒水 (Disinfectant)

 

2. Can you describe a scent you’ve smelled before? What age group do you think it belongs to?

 

3.What stage of life do you think you are in?

出生 Born 成年 Eighteen 家庭 Family 暮年 Seniors 死亡 Dying 其他Other

Associations between odours and stages of life

Associations between odours and stages of life

 

1. Smells like teen spirit: Associations between odours and stages of life – A preliminary study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2017.02.016

Food Quality and Preference Volume 59, July 2017, Pages 150-155

 

Odour samples

For this study seven different odours were selected: fruity-citrus (lemon oil), vanilla (vanillin), floral (linalool), spicy-brown (eugenol), confectionery (isoamyl acetate), green ((E,Z)-nona-2,6-dienal) and nutty (2-methoxy-3-methyl pyrazine). 

 

Participants

The data was obtained from a total of 397 participants.

The participants for this study were recruited from four different age groups: (i) kids 6 to 10 years; (ii) adolescents 11–20 years; (iii) adults 21–65 years; (iv) seniors 65+ years. Total of at least 50 people per age group.(76 kids, 103 adolescents, 163 adults, 55 seniors)

 

Test procedure

The test procedure the participants were asked to take the sniffing strips out of the covers and to sniff the offered odours. After sniffing, the participants were asked to answer questions on a paper questionnaire, which consisted of the following two parts: 

(i) question for the age-associated assignment: ‘Which age group comes into your mind first, when you smell this odour? Please choose one.’ (kids, adolescents, adults, seniors); 

(ii) questions concerning the liking of the odours and the familiarity with the presented odours. ‘I like the odour.’ (yes/no), and ‘I know the odour.’ (yes/no), followed by a request to describe the odour.

 

Results

 

Empty Cell Kids [%] Adolescents [%] Adults [%] Seniors [%] Liking of

odour [%]

Identification

rate [%]

Total cohort, N = 379, females, 56.4%, average age 30.5 years
Confectionery 48 23 17 12 74 74
Floral 13 19 40 28 65 59
Fruity-citrus 27 31 27 15 85 85
Green 9 10 37 44 40 61
Nutty 9 11 27 53 19 45
Spicy-brown 19 17 39 25 78 82
Vanilla 42 27 22 9 87 80
Total 24 20 30 26

 

Relationship between liking and life stage assignment

Participants assigned pleasant smells to the youth and unpleasant smells to the elderly might appear a bit offending, but this matter of fact could have its roots in certain conceptions of the final period of life. The fear or unpopularity of higher age life stage might be a reason for these correlations.

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