Bioregion Essences

© 2020. Unsplash: Y. Kvam / Agder, Norway.

BIOREGION ESSENCES is our exploration of smell as a vernacular language of place. Building on our work with bioregional colours, we transform locally available biomass – plants, algae, by-products and seasonal surplus – into essences that carry the atmospheric identity of a landscape. These olfactive signatures are both artistic compositions and sensorial narratives, making the ecology of a region felt through the nose.

At the same time, BIOREGION ESSENCES is a framework for applied research. Through systematic mapping of local biomass streams, testing of gentle extraction methods and olfactory profiling, we generate a robust knowledge base on how regional, low-value materials can become high-value scent ingredients. This pre-project phase includes protocols, material libraries and sensory taxonomies designed to be adopted, replicated and scaled with industrial partners.

Our ambition is to translate this artistic and sensorial groundwork into concrete industrial innovation for products and the built environment. BIOREGION ESSENCES proposes a scalable roadmap where vernacular and seasonal olfactive signatures can be embedded into materials, packaging, interiors and public space – enabling new circular value chains, region-specific product lines and olfactory layers for architecture and urban design.

 

Process
Mapping / Modeling / Designing

Delivery
Bio-essences pilot collection

Timeline
2026

Research team
Lars Haugen Aardal
Birgitta Ralston
Alexandre Bau

Partners
UiB

Supported by