During June this year, Rio de Janeiro hosted a United Nations conference on sustainable development known as ‘Rio + 20’. With 193 participant countries, world leaders, along with thousands of other participants, came together with aims to identity how we can reduce poverty, advance social equality and ensure environmental protection on an overcrowded planet.
To coincide with the conference, the Museum of Modern Art (MOM), showcased a video-installation, ‘Brazil Cerrado’ (tropical savanna) to alert people to the urgent need for its conservation.
The Cerrado is the second largest habitat type in Brazil, after the Amazon and accounts for 21% of the country. Sadly industrial farming, including clearing of land for Eucalyptus and Soya plantation and the development of dams are just some of the dangers for environmental destruction in this area.
The exhibition was designed to show the beauty of the area to ensure it is preserved for future generations to enjoy. In addition to the video installations, the exhibition displays the colors, smells and sounds of the Cerrado in 5 different environments. Air Aroma was chosen to deliver the smell or sensory experience of the exhibition.
Working closely with the artist and museum, Air Aroma’s Brazilian representative, Airsense developed unique scents for the 5 themed environments:
Fire Room – video footage shows the fire in the forests
The smell of burnt wood, smoke and soot was used to match this theme.
Water Room – video shows the wealth of the planet’s water
Fragrances with earthy and marine notes were used to tie with this footage.
Cerrado Room – video explains how forests now are pastures
The smell of freshly cut grass is used to reinforce the visual images shown.
Bioluminescence Room – shows footage of termites and fireflies
Earthy and aquatic scents were paired with this video.
Jungle Room – showing the need for preservation of forests
Fragrance notes of green moss and rain were matched to this theme.
5 Aroscent portables were used for the exhibition, which ran for 10 days. The machines ran for 12 hours a day in the 5 separate rooms, each of which were visited by thousands of people.