Art & Olfaction Awards 2026: The Experimental Scent Summit Where I Presented ScentDia

 

The Experimental Scent Summit (ESS) is presented as part of an ongoing collaboration between Los Angeles-based The Institute for Art and Olfaction and Berlin-based Smell Lab. The Experimental Scent Summit (whose speakers and subjects of 2026 were presented in the official page) is an annual gathering designed to build community and learning in creative practices with scent. As a rule, through presentations, academic and research practitioners share experimental work in an open and unrestrained environment that facilitates collaboration and inquiry. It is a non-profit community event that brought together researchers to share experimental and academic work on scent in an informal, open setting at the beautiful venue of Impact HUB Athens,right in the city center of Athens, below the Acropolis. 

ESS 2026 was co-curated this year by Julianne Lee, Minetta Rogers, and Saskia Wilson-Brown for the Institute for Art and Olfaction, and Klara Ravat for Smell Lab, and the presentations ranged from research findings in the fields of olfaction, history, culture, botany, sound science, and other related academic disciplines; performances and conversations that inspire new ways of thinking about and working with scent. 

the presenters for ScentDia social robotics

   SCENT DIA, the Olfactory Turn in Social Robotics, an interdisciplinary project uniting robotics, philosophy and olfactory art, which was introduced by me (Elena Vosnaki), followed by the more in-depth analysis by Professor of Logic and Science of Philosophy Luisa Damiano and Manos Gerakinis of Manos Gerakinis Parfums. Working with Mari Velonaki, who developed the robot as the 3rd in line in her Diamandini Robotic Series at the University of New South Wales in Australia, and collaborating with manufacturing chemical plant Vioryl S.A., they translated the social cues of the first social robot into the emission of discernible scent, emitted at the discretion of artificial intelligence in correspondence to human cues! 

Social robots, as we explained, are robots able to communicate through social cues and in social contexts, through emotional expressions, language, and posture, and now for the first time through scent corresponding to human interaction. Thanks to SCENTDIA's revolutionary technological innovation, the audience was informed about the new concept of the "social robot" as a "social connector," which opens new perspectives in the contexts in which such technology finds application, such as health care, education, and personal support, marketing, and entertainment. All in all, a very stimulating and enjoyable experience. To quote the Institute of Art & Olfaction's motto as my closing line, "Be kind, be cool, be honest, have fun."