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Blending the local food movement, cartographic art, and the idea of the public commons, Fallen Fruit invites participants to map the locations of fruit trees, creating an open project exploring conservation, the environment, and human experience. The collaborative effort–envisioned by David Burns, Matias Viegener, and Austin Young–also works to organize informational protests, help communities plan green spaces, and encourage artists to create installations examining sustainable development and local life.
The effort has a multifaceted goal. Local fruit tree cultivation supports community agriculture while bringing a new aesthetic sense to urban environments. This model of public ownership–the simple act of reaching out and taking fruit and the sense of shared care for the local environment–provides concrete examples of freeganism and other alternative economic systems. Applying its core principles more broadly, the group has also supported other efforts to use collaborative art in the public realm, such as the Civic Matters residency program and a project for the Journal of Aesthetics and Protest.
. Historian Shae Davidson's research interests include public policy and the relationship between culture and civil society. His publications range from articles on industrial history to absurdist poetry.