Tree Trip / Helsinki - Mänttä - Hyytiälä, Sept. 2025

Foto : Agnes Meyer-Brandis

Tree Trip / Helsinki, 26.Sept.2025 

Can we use the One Tree ID perfumes to create an olfactory forest and give stressed city trees a moment of well-being?  The effects and results of the experiment "Forest Bathing for Urban Trees" in Helsinki can soon be smelled. 

Experiment description A participative workshop with artist Agnes Meyer-Brandis, scientists Ditte Taipale, Timo Vesala, Toni Tykkä, curator Ulla Taipale and the audience.

For our experiment, a birch tree in the middle of Helsinki was surrounded by workshop participants who were intensively sprayed with One Tree IDs perfumes. We took BVOC gas measurements of the birch before and after the appearance of the invisible olfactory forest*.

The gas samples were analyzed with a gas chromatograph and very interesting changes have been detected. Soon, the results will be available to smell—they are currently being synthesized as new One Tree ID perfumes in collaboration with Marc vom Ende.

Experiment part 1 - How to Become a Tree for Another Tree

- Introduction into the "One Tree ID" project by Agnes Meyer-Brandis

- Setting up a measuring system to measure the clouds or VOC emissions of an urban birch tree, located at Kotkankatu 2, in front of Alppila Church in Helsinki

- A gas sample taking from the leaves, tree stem and roots, for later analysis.

Experiment part 2 - Becoming an Invisible Forest

by applying various One Tree ID perfumes from different trees

Experiment part 3 - Forest Bathing for Stressed Urban Tress

-30min after the Experiment part 2, we continue by taking samples from the leaves, tree stem and roots for later analysis to detect / proof possible effects caused by the Forest Bathing Experiment 

Experiment part 4 - Data to tree specific perfume

Data analysis by Toni Tykkä and  subsequent perfume synthesis in collboration with Marc vom Ende, senior perfumer.

Experiment part 5 - Smelling 

Smelling the effect - a stressed urban tree versus a tree bathing in an olfactory forest.

Credits: Realized in collaboration with: Toni Tykka, Finnish Meteorological Institute at the University Helsinki, FI, Marc vom Ende, Senior perfumer, Berlin, Serlachius Museums, Mänttä, FI , in the scope of the solo exhibition "As Trees Go By" oif Agnes Meyer-Brandis" at the Serlachius Museum Mänttä, FI, 12th April 2025 - 19th April 2026. The exhibition and the workshop are curated by Ulla Taipale.

Fotos: Suzanna , drone photographs: Agnes Meyer-Brandis