"Smell the horse, dad" : A qualitative case study on using scents as a sensory tool to bridge historical information through embodied storytelling within a museum

Sammanfattning: The thesis was conducted as the master thesis for a Master's in innovation and design. The aim of this thesis was to investigate in what ways scent can be used as an olfactory stimulation within exhibitions and to access the possible effects that occur from bridging historical contexts with scent within the exhibitions – as a tool for embodied storytelling. The olfactory study focuses on Leksmedjan Smetuna in Rademachersmedjorna, Eskilstuna. The thesis theoretical framework presents theories on sense of smell, museum experiences, storytelling, and embodied storytelling. A space analysis and a qualitative interview with a museum pedagogue at Västermanland´s county museum. An observational smellscape with different scented elements is conducted as well, with visiting children at Leksmedjan Smetuna in Rademachersmedjorna – where children get the chance to experience historical scents from the 17th century, through their sense of smell. This with the aim to visualize the physical-, emotional- and social effects that occur during children´s sensory museum experiences. The scented elements for the observational smellscapes were designed and produced during the thesis design process and are based on theoretical and empirical data collection. The results of the thesis bring forth important perspectives regarding children´s sensory museum experiences that incorporate scented elements.