What does the early morning smell like outdoors in the city? Is Montreal different from other locations around the world? Why does this time of day smell the way it does? How does it make us feel? In this plenary session, we will use a range of methods to interrogate and discuss ‘the smell of morning’. We will look at languages and literature, descriptive terminologies, visuals, chemical compounds, human responses, and meteorology as possible indicators as to what comprises this phenomenon. This collaborative live experiment will consider environmental data gathered during the smellwalk, exploring the role of smell in shaping urban experiences and morning perceptions. Additionally, the panel will attempt to determine the composition of the unique ‘smell of morning’ and, who knows, we might even be able to crowdsource a definition for this distinctive olfactory phenomenon.

Keywords: Smellwalk, smells, morning, nose-first, dawn