about the project
The chemical structures of the scent molecules, via their spectroscopic signatures, became
the building blocks for soundscapes of lost and recovered ocean memory: the result is a
multisensorial installation that invites the public to learn from, and explore, the intersection of science, scent, and sound.
The human history of Sapelo Island, Georgia, dates back more than 4000 years to indigenous communities harvesting food from estuaries and modifying the landscape with fire and farming. The coastal sands and marshes have shifted over time, burying former settlements as the beach rolls over the marshes. In the early 1800s, enslaved Black people were forcibly
brought to Sapelo Island to farm plantations of sugar cane and other crops. After the Civil War, Black residents established settlements around the island, defining the Gullah-Geechee culture of the lowcountry.
This first iteration of this project was exhibited at The Institute for Art and Olfaction Gallery
932 Chung King Road, Los Angeles, California, 90012
Exhibition Dates: January 12 – February 2, 2024
Opening: Fri., January 12, 6-8pm
Artists Talk: Sat. January 20 – 5:00 – 6:30pm
This project is funded in part by Ocean Memory Project through a grant from the National
Academies Keck Futures Initiative NAKFI-CA01 and inspired by discussions with Maurice Bailey, President and CEO of Save Our Legacy Ourself, Sapelo Island, Georgia
