An art professor has created a lively art project – a tree that bears dozens of fruits varieties. It combines a sense of art and beauty with self-realization and in the form of protection and education. His idea could bring a new dimension to the cultivation of the edible trees of the future.
Art Professor at Syracuse University in New York, Sam Van Aken, compared the grafting of trees to Frankenstein’s monster. The professor was carried away by the idea and created a “monster”, which is beautiful, very original and useful. He created a tree that produces 40 types of fruits. They are primarily drupes such as peaches, apricots, cherries, nectarines, or plums.
“I see Fruit Tree 40 as a work of art, a research project, and a form of protection,” Van Aken told TEDxManhattan.
Grafting Technique
Professor Van Aken cut off the branches with buds of different tree species. Branches with buds mounted on the rootstock of a thick tree. In this way, some fruits can be grown in areas that do not normally survive.
When the tree blooms, it is full of vibrant colors, from white, pink to purple and crimson, the fruits do not interfere with each other.
Trees
The art professor has already planted several trees across the US. You can see the trees in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maine, and Massachusetts.
“Every space is unique,” Van Aken told CNN about various art museums, university campuses, and private land where trees are grown.
One of the trees was planted at the Children’s Museum in San Jose, where it is part of an environmental education program.
Autum Young, the museum’s marketing manager, said that ” It’s a great opportunity for kids to interact with a piece of art that also produces fruit. “
Van Anken started the project in 2011 and has included 250 drupe species in the project. Many of them are rare and unavailable in the current market.
Source and credit: https://www.samvanaken.com/sited-trees
