What Does Kottbusser Tor Smell Like?
BERLIN
What Does Kottbusser Tor Smell Like? At Spektrum, the Smell Lab is trying to find out By Nika Mavrody
Photo by Marco Hamersma
One evening a couple of weeks ago, we visited Spektrum, a project space and venue near Schönleinstraße, to sit in on a meeting of Smell Lab, a community of scientists, artists, students and other nose enthusiasts devoted to "olfactory experiments." The group had just returned from an expedition to collect city smells from around Kreuzberg and Neukölln as part of an in-progress art project scheduled to exhibit near the end of January.
It’s impossible to conceive of a life without words. Even cats meow expressively. And yet, so much of our experience in the world is incompatible with language. Legend has it that Heart of Darkness novelist Joseph Conrad stood in front of the ocean tongue-tied, wondering — How can I possibly describe this wild thing?
All sensory information is extralinguistic. The color blue, oaky notes in a glass of wine, the smell of sweat: The words we use to describe tastes and smells and sounds are inadequate shortcuts. To know what something smells like, you have to literally smell it; you can't read about it in a book. And for us, that obviously poses a big challenge. Because we want to tell you about the smells of Berlin.
One evening a couple of weeks ago, we visited Spektrum, a project space and venue near Schönleinstraße, to sit in on a meeting of Smell Lab, a community of scientists, artists, students and other nose enthusiasts devoted to “olfactory experiments.” The group had just returned from an expedition to collect city smells from around Kreuzberg and Neukölln as part of an in-progress art project scheduled to exhibit near the end of January. Roving all around Kottbusser Damm, members collected 21 different scents, either by sealing objects whole in plastic bags or by attempting to transfer the smell onto strips of fabric. Wet autumn leaves went straight into a bag, for example, while the textile was used to rub aroma from the tiles of the Kotti Ubahn. As we passed around the various smell samples, someone instructed us to close our eyes when taking a whiff. Most of us have a complex constellation
associations mediate our sensory experience, but we can eliminate some by cutting out visual input. That seems to partly be the idea behind Smell Lab’s upcoming exhibition (which is still very much in its early stages). The group plans to first extract scents from odorous objects using steam distillation; they will then imprint those fragrances onto massive swaths of fabric for visitors to wander through, like an olfactory maze.
The Spektrum Space; Image via spektrumberlin.de
The challenges to this project are considerable: How do bodies change a room’s smell? How do smells mutate over time? Does Kottbusser Tor have its own smell or is it a compound made up of car exhaust, vegetables, lentil soup, urine, flowers and beer? “It would be great if you could go into a store and buy a fragrance: Kottbusser Tor,Hermannplatz,” a member joked. “The design shops in Berlin would definitely buy it,” another replied. Below, we’ve included a selection of smell samples taken during the expedition, along with notes and commentary:
Clementine Peel Found in Front of Ankerklause on Kottbusser Brucke
“This smells like the trash we picked up at the Turkish market.” “It’s funny how orange peels start to smell like trash the moment you throw them away.”
Textile Used to Rub the Dust from the Top of the VBB Map at the Kottbusser Tor U-Bahn “To me, this smells a little like bread.” “At least we’re helping to clean up the city.”
Tiles at the Kottbusser Tor U-Bahn
Not a strong scent; slightly sour. “But when I first took the smell, when I swiped at the tiles, it really smelled like metal.”
Wet Autumn Leaves Collected Directly Outside Spektrum “Smells like mushroom.”
Piece of Textile Left for an Hour Underneath a Rug at a Späti on Kottbusser Damm
Smells like nothing.
Piece of Green Plastic Astroturf from the Floor of the Maybachufer Turkish Market “This smells quite a lot like the market.” “It smells a bit like sweat to me.”
Vegetables from the Floor of the Maybachufer Turkish Market Sour, somewhat rotten smell.
Foil and Wrapping From a Falafel Sandwich at Lasan
Distinct onion odor.
Crawling Buds on a Vine on Paul Lincke Ufer
“This smells green to me.” How does something smell like a color?
Dry Leaves
They smell like… “Paper—” “...a cabin in the mountains.” “Brokeback mountain?” “When I imagine leaf smell, it’s much closer to the scent of wet leaves than to this.” “It does smell like a wooden house.” “Or like a pile of leaves when you jump in them.”
Piece of Paper Underneath Fish and Ice from the Fridge/Display at the Fish House at Kotti
Smelled fishy and watery.
Textile Dipped in the Landwehr Canal, with Swans Nearby
“I’m not getting much from it.” “We should for sure wash our hands after this.”
Soil Found at Paul Lincke Ufer “The smell here is interacting with the smell of the textile.”
Textile Rubbed on a Steel Rod at Paul Lincke Ufer
“This one definitely smells like metal.”
Textile Stored Under a Smell Lab Member’s Armpit Throughout the Expedition “Here’s the sweat sample.” “We should ask her what she ate today.”
“This is maybe the strongest smell.” // You can follow Spektrum on Facebook or visit the space at Bürknerstr. 12.
By Nika Mavrody Nika Mavrody lives in Berlin and writes about food, fashion and books.
What Does Kottbusser Tor Smell Like? At Spektrum, the Smell Lab is trying to find out By Nika Mavrody
Photo by Marco Hamersma
One evening a couple of weeks ago, we visited Spektrum, a project space and venue near Schönleinstraße, to sit in on a meeting of Smell Lab, a community of scientists, artists, students and other nose enthusiasts devoted to "olfactory experiments." The group had just returned from an expedition to collect city smells from around Kreuzberg and Neukölln as part of an in-progress art project scheduled to exhibit near the end of January.
It’s impossible to conceive of a life without words. Even cats meow expressively. And yet, so much of our experience in the world is incompatible with language. Legend has it that Heart of Darkness novelist Joseph Conrad stood in front of the ocean tongue-tied, wondering — How can I possibly describe this wild thing?
All sensory information is extralinguistic. The color blue, oaky notes in a glass of wine, the smell of sweat: The words we use to describe tastes and smells and sounds are inadequate shortcuts. To know what something smells like, you have to literally smell it; you can't read about it in a book. And for us, that obviously poses a big challenge. Because we want to tell you about the smells of Berlin.
One evening a couple of weeks ago, we visited Spektrum, a project space and venue near Schönleinstraße, to sit in on a meeting of Smell Lab, a community of scientists, artists, students and other nose enthusiasts devoted to “olfactory experiments.” The group had just returned from an expedition to collect city smells from around Kreuzberg and Neukölln as part of an in-progress art project scheduled to exhibit near the end of January. Roving all around Kottbusser Damm, members collected 21 different scents, either by sealing objects whole in plastic bags or by attempting to transfer the smell onto strips of fabric. Wet autumn leaves went straight into a bag, for example, while the textile was used to rub aroma from the tiles of the Kotti Ubahn. As we passed around the various smell samples, someone instructed us to close our eyes when taking a whiff. Most of us have a complex constellation
associations mediate our sensory experience, but we can eliminate some by cutting out visual input. That seems to partly be the idea behind Smell Lab’s upcoming exhibition (which is still very much in its early stages). The group plans to first extract scents from odorous objects using steam distillation; they will then imprint those fragrances onto massive swaths of fabric for visitors to wander through, like an olfactory maze.
The Spektrum Space; Image via spektrumberlin.de
The challenges to this project are considerable: How do bodies change a room’s smell? How do smells mutate over time? Does Kottbusser Tor have its own smell or is it a compound made up of car exhaust, vegetables, lentil soup, urine, flowers and beer? “It would be great if you could go into a store and buy a fragrance: Kottbusser Tor,Hermannplatz,” a member joked. “The design shops in Berlin would definitely buy it,” another replied. Below, we’ve included a selection of smell samples taken during the expedition, along with notes and commentary:
Clementine Peel Found in Front of Ankerklause on Kottbusser Brucke
“This smells like the trash we picked up at the Turkish market.” “It’s funny how orange peels start to smell like trash the moment you throw them away.”
Textile Used to Rub the Dust from the Top of the VBB Map at the Kottbusser Tor U-Bahn “To me, this smells a little like bread.” “At least we’re helping to clean up the city.”
Tiles at the Kottbusser Tor U-Bahn
Not a strong scent; slightly sour. “But when I first took the smell, when I swiped at the tiles, it really smelled like metal.”
Wet Autumn Leaves Collected Directly Outside Spektrum “Smells like mushroom.”
Piece of Textile Left for an Hour Underneath a Rug at a Späti on Kottbusser Damm
Smells like nothing.
Piece of Green Plastic Astroturf from the Floor of the Maybachufer Turkish Market “This smells quite a lot like the market.” “It smells a bit like sweat to me.”
Vegetables from the Floor of the Maybachufer Turkish Market Sour, somewhat rotten smell.
Foil and Wrapping From a Falafel Sandwich at Lasan
Distinct onion odor.
Crawling Buds on a Vine on Paul Lincke Ufer
“This smells green to me.” How does something smell like a color?
Dry Leaves
They smell like… “Paper—” “...a cabin in the mountains.” “Brokeback mountain?” “When I imagine leaf smell, it’s much closer to the scent of wet leaves than to this.” “It does smell like a wooden house.” “Or like a pile of leaves when you jump in them.”
Piece of Paper Underneath Fish and Ice from the Fridge/Display at the Fish House at Kotti
Smelled fishy and watery.
Textile Dipped in the Landwehr Canal, with Swans Nearby
“I’m not getting much from it.” “We should for sure wash our hands after this.”
Soil Found at Paul Lincke Ufer “The smell here is interacting with the smell of the textile.”
Textile Rubbed on a Steel Rod at Paul Lincke Ufer
“This one definitely smells like metal.”
Textile Stored Under a Smell Lab Member’s Armpit Throughout the Expedition “Here’s the sweat sample.” “We should ask her what she ate today.”
“This is maybe the strongest smell.” // You can follow Spektrum on Facebook or visit the space at Bürknerstr. 12.
By Nika Mavrody Nika Mavrody lives in Berlin and writes about food, fashion and books.
