How do we feel about good smells during a pandemic? The perfume industry – an internationally dispersed network of agricultural and industrial providers, workers, forecasters, bloggers, and imagined consumers – has weathered two unpredictable years. Alcohol was diverted to sanitizer manufacture. The exodus from office to kitchen table (or bathroom, or bed) rendered makeup (and pants) unimportant. Incomes dropped. A few months later, perfumes for both body and home rose in unprecedented popularity. The product’s role has changed, especially in the city; its supply chain is racing to keep pace. Production, supply, labor, and the spatial destinations of these beautiful scents each add texture to a supply chain narrative. This project operates on the many spatial and social nodes in the network to form a fuller picture of hygiene and beauty in the midst of a global health disaster. The small hands drawn at the border of poster #2 above by Boya Zhou; all other work by me at Harvard GSD.
