Remembering and reconfiguring industrial heritage: the case of the digester in Moss, Norway

Abstract

In Moss, Norway, a former cellulose factory is currently being adapted for new uses. The onsite digester, a high-rise steel structure that was used to make cellulose before the factory closed in 2012, is a landmark on the premises. The Directorate for Cultural Heritage has not designated heritage status to the digester, although it constitutes as heritage for many who used to work at the factory. The digester now faces an uncertain material future, but that does not preclude it from being remembered in various ways. Some former factory workers suggest that its heritage can be rendered olfactory by reconstructing the putrid smell the digester emitted while in service. This paper argues that 'authorised' views of heritage can be challenged by the ways in which working-class heritage is performed and remembered.

Methodologies for smellwalks and scentwalks—a critical review

“…Bembibre and Strlič contend that olfactory elements are essential considering cultural heritage, and that robust methodologies are necessary to identify and describe olfactory components ( Bembibre and Strlic 2017 ). While limited olfactory heritage has been researched to date ( Ergin 2014 ; Stevens 2018 ; Skrede and Andersen 2021 ), the smellwalk research methodology (occasionally termed scentwalk) is often employed—the act of negotiating a site/place with a focus on the olfactory experience, with aims of identifying, describing or ascribing the nature and cultural detail of encountered smells ( Davis and Thys-Şenocak 2017 ).…”

Attenuation of Odours in the Urban Outdoor Environment: A Rapid Review and Implications for the Conduct and Interpretation of Smell Walks

“…Sensory experience of urban environments is an emerging focus of research, encompassing perception of the senses [1], identification of sensescapes [2], and associations of sensory experiences with memory [3]. Olfactory components of these urban sensory experiences have been recognised as a form of cultural heritage [4], both as conventionally pleasant [5] and unpleasant smells [6], with smells combining within space and time to form a distinctive "smellscape." These smellscapes are not uniform across an urban space but vary in their presence and intensity depending on numerous factors, such as the nature of odour-emitting sources (e.g., restaurant kitchens, fish markets, sewers) and time of day (e.g., bakeries in the morning).…”