On the scent: Device bottles fragrance memories

As part of the project, Central Saint Martins student Amy Radcliffe created Madeleine, a device that works like a 35mm camera. Madeleine pumps air from a fragrance source through a trap, where the molecules are absorbed into a resin. This is then processed by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry machine to obtain the scent’s chemical make-up, and turned into a liquid that replicates the smell.

The device enables users to capture scents as a way of preserving memories like photo albums do. 

‘The value of photography has decreased with social media, digitalisation and smartphones,’ Radcliffe tells LS:N Global. ‘So I thought it would be nice to add value to precious memories, emotions and events by making them unique again. I see it as something you would keep; like you keep photo albums, you would keep fragrance albums.’ 

Madeleine was on show at MOST during Milan Design Week on 9–14 April 2013. For more on work on show in Milan, read our Milan Review Part one and Part two.