Timed scents

24 : 01 : 2017 IMM Cologne : Perfume : Design

Cologne – Patrick Palcic has designed a clock that uses perfume to tell the time.

  • The clock works by rotating slowly and releasing a different fragrance every hour
  • The designer wanted people to experience the passing of time in a new way
There Is Something In The Air by Patrick Palcic, Cologne There Is Something In The Air by Patrick Palcic, Cologne
There Is Something In The Air by Patrick Palcic, Cologne There Is Something In The Air by Patrick Palcic, Cologne
There Is Something In The Air by Patrick Palcic, Cologne There Is Something In The Air by Patrick Palcic, Cologne

Presented at this year’s IMM Cologne, the clock works by releasing a different fragrance every hour.

Aptly named There Is Something In The Air, the copper clock works by rotating slowly. When it hits the hour mark, perfume trickles through one of the 12 perforations and down the copper face, is heated and dispersed into the air. Because of the way the perfume reacts with the metal, light markings appear on the surface of the clock.

‘The olfactory clock enables the user to experience the passage of time in a different way,’ Palcic explained to Dezeen. ‘Instead of the time being read, as with other timepieces, it hangs in the air and is inhaled.’

The Big Picture

Some designers are choosing to explore our relationship with time through fragrance. For more on those creating time-sensitive scents, see Ritika Karnani’s RCA project and the Cinnamon Projects Activate.

Discover More Daily Signals
Why James Turrell is designing for awe in an age of attention fatigue

Daily Signals

Why James Turrell is designing for awe in an age of attention fatigue

ARoS Museum of Art in Aarhus will unveil As Seen Below on 19 June 2026, the largest Skyspace artist James Turrell has ever created within a museum ...
Design : Architecture : Art
F1 team names Anthropic's Claude as Official Thinking Partner

Daily Signals

F1 team names Anthropic's Claude as Official Thinking Partner

AI company Anthropic has announced a multi-year partnership with Atlassian Williams F1 Team, naming its AI model Claude as the team’s 'Official Thi...
AI : Sport : Technology
Stat: E-commerce enters the age of spontaneity as AI reshapes discovery

Daily Signals

Stat: E-commerce enters the age of spontaneity as AI reshapes discovery

A new consumer survey by AB Tasty highlights five e-commerce trends set to define winning strategies in 2026, pointing to a more spontaneous, AI-le...
Retail : Ecommerce : Online Shopping
Heineken leverages the power of fandom to spark friendship between strangers

Daily Signals

Heineken leverages the power of fandom to spark friendship between strangers

International brewer Heineken has launched Fans Have More Friends, a sponsorship platform built on the idea that shared passions are one of the fas...
Fandom : Sports : Drinks
Foresight Friday: Seyi Oduwole, foresight analyst

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Seyi Oduwole, foresight analyst

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals shaping culture right now. This week, foresight analyst Seyi ...
Bridgerton : Regency : Balls
Stat: Uptick in night-routine content reflects a shift towards protective wellness

Daily Signals

Stat: Uptick in night-routine content reflects a shift towards protective wellness

Night-routine content on TikTok rose 46% year-on-year in Q4 (October–December) 2025, reaching 13.2m weekly views, according to new research from Kyra.
Health : Wellness : Sleep
The Future Laboratory launches 2026 events calendar

Daily Signals

The Future Laboratory launches 2026 events calendar

The 2026 events calendar is here. Don’t just follow the future – get ahead of it. Join The Future Laboratory in 2026 for a programme of inspiring p...
The Future Laboratory : Events : Calendar
How diet sodas fell out of fashion

Daily Signals

How diet sodas fell out of fashion

Consumers are turning their backs on diet drinks, with zero sugar emerging as the preferred signifier of healthier indulgence.
Drink : Health : Food Retail
Stat: Alcohol abstinence in England rises as sober-curious lifestyles gain traction

Daily Signals

Stat: Alcohol abstinence in England rises as sober-curious lifestyles gain traction

Almost a quarter of adults in England (24%) now abstain from alcohol, marking a notable rise from previous years when non-drinkers consistently acc...
Drink : Stat : Statistics
How forpeople used bio-electrical tree data to shape Tree Aid’s rebranding

Daily Signals

How forpeople used bio-electrical tree data to shape Tree Aid’s rebranding

London-based creative studio forpeople has unveiled a pro bono rebranding for international development charity Tree Aid, placing living systems at...
Design : Nature : Technology
You have 2 free Daily Signals remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN