context
Subway stations are an unavoidable part of daily life in New York City, yet they're often associated with unpleasant smells and stressful commutes. MTA raises subway fare every few years, but doesn't seem to provide better service. As an SVA student, I wanted to explore whether design could change how people experience a familiar environment, not by changing the space itself, but by changing how they interacted with it.
goal
Design a public installation that:
Creates an unexpected moment of delight during the daily commute.
Raises awareness of subway cleanliness in a playful, non-confrontational way.
Demonstrates how multisensory design can increase engagement in public spaces.
design
While researching sensory experiences, I became fascinated by how closely smell is connected to emotion and memory. Unlike visual information, scent immediately triggers emotional responses and can instantly reshape how we perceive an environment.
Rather than masking unpleasant subway odors, I wanted to create a moment that temporarily shifted commuters' attention toward something unexpected and enjoyable.
This became less about fragrance itself and more about designing an emotional interruption within a highly repetitive daily routine.
“An Artist Strikes Back Against Foul Subway Smells"
– City Lab
process
Results
“Scratch ‘N’ Sniff: The Only MTA Service Advisory Flyers
You Should Actually Read”
– Brooklyn Magazine
The installation generated positive reactions from commuters and attracted widespread media coverage.
The project was featured by:
ABC7 New York
Gothamist
Time Out New York
Additional national and international publications
Its success demonstrated how a simple, low-cost intervention could spark conversation by engaging multiple senses instead of relying solely on visual communication.
Now a permanent collection of Poster House
