Atmospheres of Belonging is an interdisciplinary art-science project that explores the profound ways smell influences our sense of belonging. Making the changing atmospheres of our lives perceptible, this intermedia art installation invites you to engage with the evocative smells of stories of belonging about food and the environment of Mesa, Arizona.

At the heart of the artwork is a kinetic machine that transports unique, hand-crafted isomalt (sugar glass) vessels, each filled with a specific smell from a story, along conveyor belts inscribed with excerpts from 1 Story for 1 Story and Bottle Me Up. As the machine operates, the vessels either remain apart or find themselves intimately paired, potentially crowded into dangerous and claustrophobic corners.  An elevator system serves dual purposes: it acts as a heat source and compressor, transforming the vessel’s morphology and potentially fusing them together. When these vessels undergo change, whether slowly through heat or suddenly tumbling from their paths, they release their smells. This release creates a living analogy for the Mesa’s social and political atmospheres, inviting you to reflect on the meanings of belonging and estrangement in an embodied, tangible way.

The opening of Atmospheres of Belonging was accompanied by Lahey’s 3-D isomalt printer, the Sugar Glass Blowing workshop led by Spackman, and the Steam Me Visible steam distillation workshop led by Mannigel.

Credits
Artists: Byron Lahey, Lauryn Mannigel, Christy Spackman
Photography/video: Francisco Monarrez, Dances With Tech
Production: Dances With Tech
Image/video license: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Partner: Mesa Public Library
Supported by: Leonardo-ISAST at Arizona State University (ASU), Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory (ASU), Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts (ASU)
Special thanks to: Johanna Richards, Jennifer Strickland
Venue: Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center (ASU), Mesa, Arizona