Footscray’s Erin Adams runs smell walks across the west. She talks to Jaidyn Kennedy.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
I’m a scent designer, olfactory artist, and smell educator. I founded my company, Smell Art, in early 2023 with the goal of transforming Australia’s smell culture. Since then, it’s been a wild ride! I’ve worked on scratch-and-sniff cinema screenings, designed scents for theatre and music performances, created art installations, and hosted smell science workshops for adults as well as smell parties for kids. My next event is a Smell Walk at Wyndham Harbour on Saturday, September 7. We’ll explore the area, recording the scents we find, and contribute to a global collection of Smell Maps curated by Dr. Kate McLean. Everyone’s welcome—even pets!
What is your connection to Footscray?
I’ve lived in Footscray for 10 years, and it’s a place I really love. I volunteer for a few hours each week for Reaching Out in the Inner West and it’s a lovely way to connect with some of the generous people in our community.
What are your favourite smells from your area?
My favourite is lemon-scented eucalyptus. Near the West Footscray station, there’s a huge row of these trees along the footpath. I love picking the leaves, scrunching them up, and smelling them on my way into town. Footscray also boasts a rich scent-scape thanks to its incredible range of restaurants. Walking down Barkly Street, you’ll encounter lemongrass from bún bò Huế (Vietnamese noodle soup), berbere from doro wat (Ethiopian stew), and a spectacular array of incense and spices. Venture into Footscray market, and there’s a whole other world of smells to explore.
Has the place you live influenced your work?
Absolutely! For one of my art works, I collected fallen lemon-scented eucalyptus branches after a storm and distilled the leaves into essential oil using a copper alembic still (thanks to the Handmaker’s Factory). I then crafted giant origami scent pods that released the fragrance. I love to use my surroundings to inspire my work.
Tell us something people might be surprised to know about you?
People often assume I spend all my time making perfume, but my passion for scent extends far beyond that. I’m deeply fascinated by how smell shapes our memories, influences emotions, and affects behaviour. It’s our most undervalued sense. While there’s a saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” I prefer neuroscientist Rachel Herz’s version: “a scent is worth a thousand pictures.”
To see more of Erin’s work visit www.smellart.com.au/ or @_smell_art_ on Instagram
