The Scent of Digital Art: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Abstract

Scent has a long history of being treated as the medium for art. Its aesthetic, affective and evocative aspects enrich the art experience. Yet when it comes to the digital era, it seems to become the minority among the artworks. As digital olfaction is getting advanced in recent years, could it open up the opportunity to consider scent as the interface of tomorrow for digital art? This paper reviews how scent was treated as art in the past, examines its recent role in digital media, and discusses the possibilities it lays ahead for digital art in the future.