Research Areas

Senses, olfaction, whales, commodities, and miasma

Leonora researches the geography of the senses, focusing on the historical articulation of scent in the perfume industry.

Her dissertation traces the practices by which unique mammalian and plant matter is identified, classified and generated anew as petrochemical affective equivalents. She queries how the production and circulation of commodities is itself dependent on sensorial affects, and how scientific practice transforms objects and senses alike. She thus approaches smell as a kind of logic actively structuring the world. Leonora was born in Brasil, is a practicing artist, and makes custom fragrances.