Night of Discoveries (Nacht van de Ontdekkingen)

On Saturday 14 September, the art and knowledge festival The Night of Discoveries took place at the, the Hortus Botanicus of Leiden University.

It was an evening full of innovation and creativity with novice makers, young researchers and artists. NOSE members Caro Verbeek and Sanne Boesveldt took part with inspiring lectures on smell in relation to art and science. Caro talked about how, when the sun sets, some plants, such as jasmine and honeysuckle, reveal a completely different and much more intense scent palette. Darwin called these fragrant flowers ‘flores tristes’ because ‘no one’ would smell them at that time of day. They are therefore intended as wordless communication between plants and insects and are not ‘intended’ for humans at all. But it was precisely those nocturnal aromas that inspired countless artists and musicians a century ago, such as Claude Débussy, who wrote no fewer than two pieces of music about them. He thought his sounds could actually evoke smells. This phenomenon in which the stimulation of one sense produces a sensation in another is called ‘synesthesia’.

During Sanne’s lecture, you could learn more about why our nose is so important for food, and that we humans are not necessarily inferior to other animals in terms of sense of smell.

In both cases, attendees were invited to interact and smell some of the aromas that Caro brought with (even the smell of the MOON!) or to smell and taste the candies that Sanne brought to demonstrate the impact of retronasal aroma on flavor perception. The rooms were packed!

Beyond these lectures, you could enjoy a true voyage of discovery along musical performances, exhibitions, theatre performances, debates, or workshops. A truly magical night at a beautiful location filled with discoveries!