Incense is a commodity which is widely accessible and has been used for centuries to celebrate rituals, perform sacred ceremonies, and invoke sensory pleasure. 

Growing up in West Footscray with Asian heritage, incense was always present in Kim’s life—in the homes of her family members, at the temple during Chinese New Year, and in the shopfronts of local business. She didn’t question the Buddhist ceremonies, and offered incense at her grandparents’ funerals, along with the rest of her family.

These days, Kim lives in Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Collingwood where a box of incense can retail for as much as $42 at nearby boutiques. When Covid-19 began, she noticed incense appearing on more lifestyle instagram accounts. One was selling a French incense under their own brand for $60.

Stripped of any religious significance, Kim began to wonder what the meaning of incense was all those years ago when she was first exposed to it. During lockdown, she sits down with her mother, Binh, to learn about its cultural significance and examine the disconnect between her past and present, bringing old memories to the fore—along with new insights.

Also in this episode, Georgia and Elijah find common music-video ground in Green Day. Agum lets Matisse in on the ‘next level’ challenges of living with young kids in a high-rise during Covid19. And we bring you part four of ‘Reggie’s Update’: musings on life in lockdown from Reggie’s desk. It seems that reading The Empath Experience by Sydney Campos has given Reggie some food for thought/insights.

Credits:Contributions from Binh and Paul.Music by FoolBoy Media, Shane Ivers, Joe Bae, Jesse Sullivan & Danny Hillyer.With thanks to Anastasia Charisiou, the Charisiou family and Jack Gilbert.