Notwithstanding the world’s endless loss of scent caused by the never-ending urban transformation, surprisingly there’s no UN file on deprivation of smell. No existence of any UNHCR campaign on odors’ evictions. Not even a NGO concerned with the weakening of olfaction.
What made the world so numb?
We smell. People smell. Cities smell.
Everything has and should always have the right to smell.
The world might not be ready.
Istanbul certainly isn’t and Fikirtepe makes no difference.
The rapid transformation of the neighborhood won’t leave space to Nostalgia. Snif snif.
While the real estate market drives the future, the peculiar smells of the neighborhood will be lost forever.
Are neighbors aware of it? Is nonsense a fertile device to open the discourse?
Could collective smelling trigger the neighborhood reaction then?
Unexpectedly the neighborhood opened its doors to the smell expert; from stores to houses, workshops and streets everything was carefully smelled and archived.
Fikirtepe is still alive and smelly
ABC MANIFESTO 