Objectives

Objective 1: Build a multimodal database documenting culturally significant places in Hong Kong. 

We will achieve this through a quantitative multi-method field survey, by:

1a. Taking our recent pilot survey (n = 60) as a point of departure. Results suggest that places for Street food, Chinese Temples, and Wet markets are the most important in regards to intangible cultural heritage (see Project statement for details);

1b. Identifying a fairly large number of significant sites (target is one hundred) selected after literature review and surveying stakeholders. Permission for making audiovisual recordings in public spaces will be sought (HKSAR Police Force website) and anonymised; 

1c. Defining a field data collection protocol, building on PI’s experience (field surveys of 152 restaurant environments: Lindborg 2015, 2016; Lindborg & Friberg 2016) and Co-Is (e.g. Xiao 2018; Mitchell, Aletta, et al. 2020);

1d. Collecting a multimodal database by detailed, accurate onsite capture of video (360˚), audio (3D), and olfactory (‘smellprint’, see Objective 2) and other data. Additionally, for the case study: sensory walks and stakeholder interviews (see Objective 3). PI and Co-Is (Aletta, Xiao), full-time Research Assistant [RA], and Student Helpers [SH]. Co-I (Aletta) will visit Hong Kong in Q1/Q2 2024 (see Budget and Timeplan);

1e. Sampling air (smell) for chemical analysis. On-site sampling will be performed by PI and RA. Pre-processing and gas chromatography – mass spectrometry will be conducted by RA advised by Co-I (Matsuda) in close collaboration with PI and Co-I (Xiao);

1f. Sampling and analysing user data from open-source geo-tagged social media messaging. This will be made in collaboration by the PI and Co-I (Liew) (see also Objective 3).

Objective 2: Develop robust, accurate, and repeatable methods for sampling and encoding smellscapes in the form of ‘smellprints’. 

This objective is divided into encoding and decoding parts. Work will be done by PI and Co-Is (Matsuda, Xiao), assisted by RA, and supported by the Department of Chemistry at City University of Hong Kong. We will:

2a. Develop methods for capturing ‘smellprints’ of the olfactory environment. Note that parsimonious encoding represents a challenge for complex smellscapes. Co-I (Xiao) will visit Hong Kong as part of the research in Q3/Q4 2024 (see Budget and Timeplan);

2b. Explore potential methods for decoding and laboratory reproduction of ‘smellprints’. Please note that this objective is explorative; to actually develop and validate ‘smellscape playback’ will be hard (see discussion and review in Flaviàn et al. 2021) and would demand time and resources beyond the scope of the present proposal. 

Objective 3: Gain in-depth understanding of the social, psychological, and perceived cultural qualities of highly valued places in Hong Kong. 

We will achieve this through a qualitative case study, by: 

3a. Identifying a small number of highly significant places from an ‘experiencescape’ perspective (Chen 2018), e.g. a purposive sampling of one site from each of the three categories previously identified (Street food, Chinese Temples, Wet markets). PI and Co-Is;

3b. Conducting sensory walks with trained and laymen observers who make visual, auditive, and olfactory structured annotations. PI, Co-I (Xiao), assisted by RA and SH;

3c. Conducting stakeholder interviews. Led by Co-I (Xiao in Hong Kong) assisted by RA, transcribed by RA and SH (see also Objective 1f.)

3d. Interpreting results from the qualitative analysis in relation to the quantitative data previously collected (see Objective 1). Content analysis by PI, Co-Is (Xiao, Liew), and RA.

Objective 4: Disseminate research in impactful ways by addressing database usefulness, empowerment of stakeholders, and outreach. 

Specifically, the tasks are to:

4a. Design a user-friendly interface to the database. PI will design the GUI supported by RA, for implementation on a City University host server (pilot at http://soundlab.scm.cityu.edu.hk/mmhk/); 

4b. Develop the database and tools with an eye towards future applications in spatial design, ‘experiencescape’ [Chen et al. 2020a, 2020b], virtual tourism [Flaviàn 2021; Hopf et al. 2020], as well as film, games, and other VR/XR applications [Ranasinghe et al. 2018]. PI and Co-Is [Xiao, Aletta];

4c. Grow the database user community, initially in the fields listed above, then in ethnographic and museal settings that aim to preserve and make available the sensory cultural heritage (combining tangible and intangible heritage; see Project Statement) for the benefit of present and future generations of residents of Hong Kong to come;

4d. Deliver research reports to inform and support standardization processes, research and monitoring of the environment, and policy-making for sensory cultural heritage in Hong Kong and abroad. While the project is regional, its reach is potentially global, as cities around the world transform to be much more like Hong Kong. Project Co-I (Aletta) has significant experience in working with international standardisation bodies, such as ISO, BSI, and United Nations, as well as the Soundscape Indices project (e.g. Mitchell et al. 2020).

4e. Promote multimodal environmental research in general. Inspired by the 2020/21 ‘International Year of Sound’ (sound2020.org), could an ‘International Year of Smell’ be launched a few years later?