Aquila Children's Magazine AQUILA Magazine Best Bits | Page 14

Thanks to the likes of Hermann von Helmholtz we know we can’t believe our eyes, but what about our nostrils? Surely they’re on the level? I mean, no one would ever go out of their way to make something smell of something it doesn’t naturally smell of, would they? Actually, they would. Liam Findlay is an attractions consultant at AromaPrime, a company that has been making places smell weird since the 1980s. Polly: What exactly does your job entail? Liam: I work with attractions – theme parks, museums, castles, aquariums and other places you might visit on a day out. I show them how to use smells in the most exciting and effective ways. Some of our past customers include Alton Towers, Sea Life aquariums, the Natural History Museum, The Dungeons, English Heritage, Jorvik Viking Centre and Madame Tussauds.   FUN FACT TRUMPET: Did you know that, even though a sound can wake you up, you can not smell in your sleep! (Speak for yourself, I totally smell when I’m asleep. Sometimes I positively reek! Ed) Polly: How did you become a… that? Liam: The company I work for has been making themed smells since the eighties. One of their first projects was designing odours for a historical attraction in my hometown of Weymouth. It was called Weymouth Timewalk. Visitors could walk through the town’s past, smelling rat-infested ships, the black death (brilliant, ed) , and the glorious seaside air. Smell has an incredible way of sticking in your memory. I remembered those aromas as I grew up, even after the Timewalk closed. I became a designer for themed attractions and so I got in touch and asked if I could help out in any way. That’s how it started. Polly: What do you think scent can add to a museum experience? Liam: More than anything, smell is a master storyteller. Damp odours in a dark space can make you feel claustrophobic as you start to imagine narrow tunnels. Metallic smells can immerse you in an alien world as you board a spaceship ride at a theme park. Strong whiffs of medicine and body parts can bring history to life as you learn about an old hospital! Because of how it directly interacts with your brain, smell is powerful fuel for your imagination!