HEIRLOOM was a site-specific public art project that involved printing language on antique apples in Piper’s Orchard in Carkeek Park, Seattle. Using vinyl stencils and the light of the sun, words were burned into the peels of ripening apples. The words on the apples represented the titles of individual sections from a long poem written in the form of an abecadarian, or alphabet poem, that was a poetic visitor’s guide to the orchard which explores the history of the land and our human connection to it and the names and stories behind various apple varieties. An audio recording of the poem, featured at this website, mixes a studio reading with ambient field recordings captured in the orchard throughout the seasons.

HEIRLOOM was part of the outdoor exhibition Propagation: Heaven and Earth 7. The project was supported, in part, by an award from 4Culture, funding from Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, and The Awesome Foundation. Recording and production made possible through the Artist Residency Programs at Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Thank you to Tom Stiles, Jake Muir, Don Ricks and Friends of Piper’s Orchard, Carkeek Park Advisory Council, Seattle Parks and Recreation, David Francis and Thendara Kida-Gee of the Center for Environmental Art, and the staff and volunteers of City Fruit.

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