Scented Storytelling

Tammy Burnstock is the guiding force behind “Scented Storytelling,” an intricate fusion of olfactory art and evocative narratives. What began as a single workshop has blossomed under her direction into a multifaceted practice, collaborating with an international ensemble of storytellers, scent experts, and performers. Together, they craft bespoke olfactory experiences for audiences worldwide, from the awe-inspiring cinematic Smell-O-Vision! events to engaging “stinky story” workshops and enchanting puppetry.

At the heart of Scented Storytelling is a mission to awaken everyone to the profound dimensions of smell and invite audiences to dive nose-first into their animal identities. Tammy’s unique blend of the playful realm of children’s media with groundbreaking scent design ensures approachable and innovative experiences for venues and audiences worldwide. In these works, audiences don’t just observe; they are invited into a world where their senses guide the narrative, immersing them in a tale that resonates across ages, cultures, and experiences.

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Tammy Burnstock is a writer, director, and event producer with a unique specialization in scented and immersive experiences. Her career spans several facets of the screen-based industry, highlighted by 12 years in the Children’s department at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Here, she executive produced the award-winning digital portal, The Playground. Burnstock’s fascination with integrating scent into experiences dates to her thesis, Attempts to Record Smell for the Cinema. Her passion for exploring the intersections of scent, cinema, and immersive experiences remains as strong as ever. In 2019, she co-directed and produced the scented documentary feature In-Glorious Smell-O-Vision!, which tells the true story of the Godfather of scented cinema and is currently captivating audiences across Australia.

Burnstock’s accomplishments include her successful olfactory restoration of the pioneering Smell-O-Vision! feature film Scent of Mystery (1960) and its companion animated short A Tale of Old Whiff. Collaborating with the Institute for Art and Olfaction, Burnstock reimagined this “original stinker” into a novel, participatory scented experience with successful screenings in Hollywood, Copenhagen, and the United Kingdom. During the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying global lockdowns, she co-curated and produced a unique online Scent in Cinema series. The series was distinguished as a finalist for the 2022 Sadakichi Award for Experimental Use of Scent at the prestigious Art and Olfaction Awards, an internationally recognized accolade for scented media and art. In addition to her film endeavors, Burnstock leverages her olfactory expertise as a scent consultant for Molten Immersive Art and The Mandala Social, further establishing her as a trailblazer in creating multi-sensory experiences.

Burnstock collaborates with diverse communities, focusing on co-designing and facilitating narratives. She is actively involved with the Diversity Disability Alliance, an organization led by and for people with disabilities from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Burnstock also contributes as a volunteer biographer to the Story Project, an initiative supported by the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. She founded and co-facilitates the Foto Friendship project, which connects young people between Australia and Timor-Leste through photography and narrative. The project was notably featured on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation program Compass: Through Our Eyes.

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