Sensory Walk & Sniff

Sunday 21 September 2025, 10am–12pm
9.45am, meet at GULP, 58 Spencer Street, Jewellery Quarter
Free, booking essential

Join us for the first event in Sensing the JQ, a new project by artist Kaye Winwood exploring the unique character of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter through the senses.

This participatory workshop invites you to experience the JQ in a new way – not just through sight and sound, but by noticing its smells, both past and present. Together we’ll walk, sniff, record, and discuss how scent shapes our connection to place.

The walk will be co-led by Dr Jieling Xiao (Birmingham City University), a leading expert in sensory experiences, who will share insights into the science and artistry of smell in urban environments. Her research on smellscapes and soundscapes explores from a spatial design perspective with a focus on human experiences and wellbeing in everyday living. She is the creator of the “sensing beyond the Roundhouse” sensory trail and the “sensing around the Anglesey Column” trail.  

The findings from this and other sensory workshops will help shape a bespoke sensory dining experience at GULP in 2026.

Draft Timetable

9.45 Meet outside GULP, 58 Spencer Street
10.00–11.00 Sensory Walk & Sniff around the Jewellery Quarter
11.00–1.00 Group discussion with light refreshments at GULP (*)

Access Notes

We will endeavour to make the walking route as accessible as possible. Please contact us with any access requirements and we will do our best to accommodate.
Refreshments take place at GULP (*), located on the first floor and only accessible by staircase.