Speculative Citrus: Mapping the Self Through Scent

​A playful olfactory workshop blending scents with history, language, and exploratory writing. Let the wild history of citrus guide your self-making: invent a new citrus and write a short “anti-bio”— a poetic portrait of yourself.

​Join Xinan Helen Ran for a scent-led workshop on the embodied self—part smelling and blending, part creative journaling. Drawing from eBay “archives” of citrus ephemera and roadside fruit stands, you’ll smell, share stories, and invent a new citrus: a custom fragrance blend + a short “anti-bio” designed to be felt rather than summarized.

​Together, we’ll explore how scent connects to color, texture, and memory through guided smelling and conversation. You’ll experience 10+ raw citrus ingredients sourced across continents—materials commonly used in perfumery.

​Using a custom worksheet, we will build a playful “citrus persona.” The workshop ends with a moment of introspection, culminating in a poetic self-portrait through the speculative citrus you invent.

​This event is low-pressure and playful; no experience needed. All materials provided.

​Program

• ​Part 1: Introduction and Methodology

• ​Part 2: Scent Mapping and Citrus History

• ​Part 3: Anti-Bio as a Citrus

• ​Part 4: Closing and Group Feedback

​Facilitator

​Xinan Helen Ran creates scalable, research-driven installations and searches for the point where trauma, nihilism, and humor converge. Ranked “Highbrow and Brilliant” by the New York Magazine Approval Matrix, she is a MacDowell Fellow, a More Art Commission artist, and a NYSCA grant recipient, with exhibitions nationally and internationally. She is an art educator, set designer, and arts worker based in Brooklyn.