Smells Like Home
What? A Participatory Scent & Storytelling Workshop with Yati Sharma
When? Wednesday 20 August 2025
11:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Where? Fenton Town Hall
Free – Booking Required
Age 16+
Step into a world of scent, memory, and storytelling in this unique, sensory-rich workshop led by artist Yati Sharma. Smells Like Home invites participants to explore the powerful connection between smell, memory, and identity through guided olfactory exercises and shared reflection.
What to Expect
An introduction to olfactory storytelling and the cultural role of scent
Interactive scent-based activities to spark memory and imagination
Space to share personal stories and sensory associations
A collective discussion on themes of home, migration, and belonging
Smells Like Home is an immersive olfactory art workshop that explores smells as a material for storytelling and self-expression. Led by artist Yati Sharma, the session invites participants to go beyond simply smelling, to paint with smells, using essential oils, natural ingredients sourced directly from nature, and an understanding of the fragrance wheel to compose their own personal 'smellscapes' by mixing, layering and composing smells much like paint or sound.
Smell is our strongest sense when it comes to nostalgia and memory recollection. Each participant will create a scent-based composition that reconstructs a memory, place, or feeling, digging into a diverse olfactory palette and reflecting on what “home” means to them.
It’s always fascinating to discover how the same scent can hold vastly different meanings for different people. The workshop is not only creative but also conversational. Participants will work in a curious and reflective group, engaging in meaningful dialogue around identity, memory, and belonging.
No prior experience is needed, just your nose and some memories!
Why Join?
Discover the emotional power of scent in a creative, welcoming space
Reflect on your own experiences of home and identity
Connect with others through shared stories and sensory memory
No prior experience needed—just bring your curiosity and openness
Spaces are limited – book now to secure your place in this unforgettable experience.
Artist Info:
Yati Sharma is an Indian artist and researcher whose practice centres on the use of invisible sensory mediums, particularly smell and sound, to tell stories, evoke memory, and create immersive, emotionally resonant experiences. Her work explores how sensory perception can serve as a powerful tool for emotional connection, cultural integration, and spiritual reflection.
During her MFA at the Royal College of Art, London, Yati focused on developing olfaction as a mode of communication, using participatory research, installation art, and workshops to investigate how scent shapes memory and identity. Her approach is deeply rooted in the belief that smell is the strongest human sense when it comes to nostalgia and memory recollection.
Yati holds a Master’s in Communication from the Royal College of Art and a Bachelor’s in Design from Delhi Technological University. Her work has been exhibited and supported by institutions such as BBC Television Centre (London), the National Gallery of Modern Art (New Delhi), and through initiatives like the Hyundai Art for Hope Grant and a UK Government public art commission.
Continuing to work at the intersection of technology, sensory experience, and cultural storytelling, Yati invites audiences to sense, feel, and remember through her evolving body of work.
yatisharma.com
FREE EVENT. Booking Required, 15 spaces available, suitable for ages 16+
Parking & access: lots of on street parking in the streets outside of the venue, also small P&D car park to the rear of Fenton Town Hall. The main entrance has steps, there is a side door with flat entrance accessed by a push button door, and access to a lift to the Ballroom.
Event date
20 August 2025
Event Time
11:30PM
Location
Fenton Town Hall, Ballroom, Albert Square, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 3AJ
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