Peter De Cupere. The Olfactory Tree (2004).

A living sculpture infused with scent.

Belgian artist Peter De Cupere , known for his pioneering work in olfactory art, created The Olfactory Tree in 2004 as part of his ongoing exploration of scent in natural and urban environments. This living installation featured an actual tree equipped with scent diffusion systems that emitted carefully composed artificial aromas alongside its natural scent.

By embedding synthetic smells.such as citrus, flowers, or even industrial notes.into a growing tree, De Cupere blurred the line between nature and technology, the real and the artificial. The work invited viewers to engage with the tree not through sight or touch, but primarily through smell , transforming a familiar object into an unexpected sensory encounter.

The Olfactory Tree encourages us to reconsider how we experience nature and challenges our dependence on visual perception. It also speaks to contemporary concerns about ecological manipulation, artificial environments, and the sensory disconnect in urban life. With this piece, De Cupere transforms a tree into a poetic interface between memory, biology, and synthetic design .