Perfume expert Marika Rozenberga on why the nose remembers what the mind has forgotten
The Aizkraukle-area outlet Staburags has published an interview with perfume expert Marika Rozenberga about the sense of smell, scent memory and emotions. It also touches on whether a distinctly Latvian scent exists.
Staburags, a news outlet covering the Aizkraukle area in Latvia, has published an interview with perfume expert Marika Rozenberga about the sense of smell, a sense that is rarely discussed in everyday life. Rozenberga writes the blog "Seko degunam!" ("Follow Your Nose!") and runs scent-introduction events. The conversation focuses on why aromas so quickly bring back long-past experiences, and why smells encountered in childhood can instantly carry a person back to that time.
A personal starting point
The journalist who conducted the interview says his perception of smells has, oddly, improved with age, which at times becomes a burden. Patchouli incense sticks are a common sight in his home, and he still remembers the smell of an old car from his childhood.
What happens at Rozenberga's events
At her events, participants get to know aromas and their raw materials, learn to tell individual notes apart and gradually build up their own store of scent memories. The interview also covers the link between smell and emotions, whether there is such a thing as a Latvian scent, and what people are actually buying when they purchase a bottle of perfume.
Ties to the Aizkraukle area
Rozenberga says her mother lived for several years in Koknese, by the Pērse river, where the family had a countryside property. She herself was born in Saulkrasti and has lived in Riga. By her own account she has worked in advertising for "a hundred years", wrote dialogues for the series "UgunsGrēks" and has produced books. Her interest in perfume, she says, arrived naturally, and she now shares it with others who are curious about it.
