Short documentary Film & Discussion Panel: Ireland and Its Aromatic Heritage with Dr. Gayil Nalls, olfactory artist in Smelling the Bouquet, and select Garden scientists, moderated by Museum Curator Nezka Pfeifer; film duration 35 minutes, panel to follow 35 minutes’ duration.
For generations, the rich, earthy aroma of peat smoke has been a defining feature of Ireland’s natural olfactory heritage—deeply woven into its rural traditions and national identity. As the country shifts away from peat burning in response to climate policy and environmental degradation, a profound transformation is unfolding. This film explores how the disappearance of peat smoke as a unifying national scent affects not only the physical landscape but also the cultural memory, sensory heritage, and livelihoods of those who have long relied on turf cutting. Through intimate interviews with rural families, peatland conservationists, and historians, Ireland and Its Aromatic Heritage reveals the complex intersection of scent, tradition, and sustainability.
Join olfactory artist Dr. Gayil Nalls, creator of World Sensorium 2025, currently on view in the Sachs Museum’s Smelling the Bouquet exhibition, and director of Ireland and Its Aromatic Heritage for the Garden premiere screening of the film and a panel discussion with the artist and several Garden scientists to follow. Dovetailing the themes of aromatic heritage and creating a sustainable future, these Garden scientists will speak to their perspectives and research around the globe: Dr. Robbie Hart (Himalayan alpine plants), Dr. Mónica Carlsen (plant diversity in the Neotropics), and Heidi Schmidt (plant conservation in Madagascar).