Two TEDx talks by NOSE members

At the TEDx event hosted by the Hotelschool Den Haag, NOSE members Jasper de Groot and Caro Verbeek had the opportunity to talk about what interests them the most right now.

In his TEDx talk, Jasper de Groot talks about our human sense of smell. For millennia, we have been underestimating our sense of smell. If we believe the ancient great thinkers, this underestimation seems justified. However, actual scientific evidence reveals that humans possess a far better sense of smell (olfaction) than we previously believed. Olfaction serves various functions (from the enjoyment of food to social communication) that greatly contribute to our quality of life, often operating beneath our conscious awareness. As the old saying goes, we often only recognize the value of something once we lose it. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a firsthand smell loss experience for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. This unforeseen circumstance gradually revealed the true significance of our olfactory sense; in brief, what science tells us: countering all fiction, humans have excellent olfaction.

Caro Verbeek masterfully weaves elements of music, rhythm, and images with a sprinkling of kinaesthesia, to deliver an engaging TEDx talk. The talk opens with an insightful discussion about an artwork by TeZ Maurizio Martinucci, which provoked an authentic synaesthetic experience within them. A special note of appreciation is extended to Stella Ponne, whose Mondrianesque moves greatly influenced the speaker. Stella’s contribution was significant enough to merit an explicit mention during the talk. With dedication, creativity, and a dash of interpretive dance, they successfully brought their subject matter to life in a most engaging way.