Scent Recording at the Bonfim Festival: Salvador, Brazil — January 16, 2025
The carried-out activities are part of the project Climate Changes and Scent Heritage, The Urgent Need for Capturing and Preserving Olfactory Landscapes in a Changing World, with acronym SCENTINEL, co-funded by the Joint Programming Initiatives Cultural Heritage and Global Change (JPI CH) and Connecting Climate Knowledge for Europe (JPI Climate) and the Belmont Forum.
Scent Recording at the Bonfim Festival: Salvador, Brazil — January 16, 2025
The Bonfim Festival (Lavagem do Bonfim) in Salvador, Brazil, is one of the country’s most significant cultural and religious events. It honors Senhor do Bonfim (Lord of Bonfim), a Catholic figure syncretized with Oxalá, an orixá in Candomblé. The festival begins with a procession of devotees dressed in white, walking 8 kilometers to the Bonfim Church, where the ritual washing (lavagem) of the church steps takes place. Women known as baianas pour scented water, infused with herbs and flowers, over the steps in a symbolic act of purification and renewal. This water, with its distinct aroma, embodies the blend of African and Catholic traditions that define Bahian culture. However, this heritage is at risk as climate change threatens the local flora essential for producing these traditional scents. I made recordings with early Scent Camera 1.0 prototype. The Scent Camera is a scent recorder that allows you to capture, store, and release scents as easily as recording audio or taking a picture. If you want to be part of scentgrapher community than join us in telegram.
Scent Recording Sessions
1. The middle of the Square (100 meters from the church)
The first recording session took place in a small square with a central tree and a handful of people nearby. To capture the environmental scent, I recorded in three types of adsorbents: AI granules (DRYTEC 848 1/8"), zeolite beads, and silica gel. Each recording involved pumping 440 liters of air over three minutes. The scent shifted noticeably during this time — from earthy and floral to less distinct aromas. This raised a critical challenge: how do we accurately capture an environment’s essence when its scent constantly changes? Control sniffing didn’t clarify what the final recorded scent represented, leaving the result ambiguous.
2. In Front of the Church
The second session was conducted in front of the Bonfim Church, where I focused on capturing the festival’s signature scent — the aromatic lavagem water. Using activated charcoal, activated carbon, and silica gel, I made three recordings. The vaporized aroma dominated the air intermittently, for only about 10–20% of the each three-minute recording. However, compared to the first session, this scent was much more pronounced. Capturing these fleeting moments underscored the limitations of current technology, as the bustling crowd made control sniffing impossible.
3. Capturing Food Aromas
For the final session, I recorded the aromas of Brazilian street food using AI granules. This recording revealed logistical challenges with the equipment. Capsules were hard to track without color-coding, and I mistakenly used an empty capsule during one session. Additionally, the manual pump made the process cumbersome, highlighting the need for faster, automated systems with integrated multimedia features for better usability.
Enhancing Visual and Audio Media with Scent
Integrating scent recordings into videos, photos, or audio from the Bonfim Festival would significantly enhance how audiences experience the event. The floral and herbal aroma of the lavagem water, paired with visuals of the washing ceremony, could evoke a profound sense of renewal and spirituality. This added sensory layer allows Scent Camera users to form a deeper and more emotional connection to the festival’s cultural richness compared to simply watching pictures, videos, or listening to audio recordings alone.
Reflections on Scentgraphy
The Bonfim Festival highlighted the complexities of scent recording. Current methods risk capturing a mix of transient smells, creating an artificial blend that doesn’t authentically represent the moment. Faster recording technology is crucial to capture specific scents at their peak for accurately documenting olfactory environments for archival purposes. But long recordings may work for artistic projects. Festival-goers were intrigued by the technology and engaged in conversations, though some cooks were hesitant, likely due to misunderstandings about scent recording. The experience underscored the importance of cultural sensitivity and clear communication during such projects.
Conclusion
The Bonfim Festival offered a valuable opportunity to explore the potential of scentgraphy. From the aromatic lavagem water to the rich scents of street food, these olfactory experiences highlighted the power of smell in connecting people to cultural events. To improve future recordings, advancements like color-coded capsules and faster, automated systems are necessary. Preserving these scents goes beyond capturing ephemeral aromas — it ensures the safeguarding of a vital part of Brazil’s cultural and emotional heritage for generations to come.
