share your fruit.
This project invites the public to explore public space using fruit trees as local landmarks. Planted along sidewalks or fences, in parks and interstitial spaces, the fruit trees naturally become markers for walking trails. In many cities, these pathways of trees, or Urban Fruit Trails, connect neighborhoods. Signage can be placed at each fruit tree that explains it is part of a network of public fruit trees and the fruit is for sharing with others.
Map, Plant and Share Fruit!
Fruit trees are generous and sweet. Fruit is a “gift” for everyone to share. A fruit tree is a natural connector between people and place. Urban neighborhoods can be transformed with this symbolic generous resource. Fruit trees connect us to the environment, seasonal changes, our rural roots and culture. Fruit trees bridge “disconnected communities,” bringing fresh fruit to food desert neighborhoods, while helping remove toxins from the soil. It is these places in our cities and neighborhoods that border the public and private where we have learned that we find connections to everyday people, generational knowledge and cultural legacy. These are the places that we find shifts in meaninddg, narratives of migration and gentrification, histories ready to be discovered and shared.
Fruit trees live longer than most residents of a city
In fact, they can be productive and sustainable for more than 40 years. We want to position this project globally and engage community with the idea that generosity begets generosity. Everyone can participate regardless of age, class or gender. It is easy to expand the Endless Orchard by planting fruit trees adjacent to or on public space. We invite artists, activists, historians and engaged citizens to plant fruit trees in publicly accessible spaces and create more Urban Fruit Trails in more cities and expand the Endless Orchard. Ideally all of this enhanced in a future version with “Augmented Reality” as a way to guide people through neighborhoods, adding stories, images, videos, text and more. In a multi-user environment with prompts on how to engage the city using prompts and markers such as fruit trees, public spaces and community landmarks. The Endless Orchard will become a socially interfaced environment gathering information on the best ways to navigate and experience city streets and public spaces.