The Smell of Lockdown…

Allen probed experiences in New Zealand during COVID-19-related lockdowns and found that “changes in suburban smells signal disruption to daily life as a result of the government’s social and economic pandemic-response measures. For instance, the empty cold smell of the mall usually warm and bustling with activity, conveys the isolation and loss of social connectedness produced by lockdown restrictions. Similarly, the dry smell of concrete dust created by the closure and demolition of a high-street bank reflects the slowing of the national economy. Attention to smell enables insight into new modes of being for residents that involve heightened anxiety around viral contagion and a slower, quieter, environmentally cleaner way of life.”

Louisa Allen.  “What Does Lockdown Smell Like?  Understanding the COVID-19 Pandemic Through Smell.”  The Senses and Society, in press, https://doi.org/10.1080/17458927.2022.2138089