Fallen Fruit’s name is derived from a passage in the book of Leviticus: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger.” Fallen Fruit’s community-based projects use fruit as a medium to explore social engagement. The themes of generosity and sharing that guide their work align with the Skirball’s mission of hospitality, equality, and civility.

After studying the Skirball’s collection of Jewish cultural artifacts, Burns and Young found inspiration for their project in a seventeenth-century ketubbah (marriage contract). They also discovered how prominently the pomegranate figures in Jewish tradition, particularly as a symbol of fertility and marriage. Focused on this fruit, the artists researched the emotional, cultural, and intellectual “ingredients that make for a great relationship” during the course of their residency at the Skirball. The exhibition combines their interest in both the cultural ritual of marriage and the beauty of the pomegranate by featuring specially designed wallpaper created from photographs of pomegranate fruits and trees in Southern California. The latest addition is a selection of portraits of people who love each other, accompanied by a Love Score—an artfully designed composite of love advice submitted by the public.

Fallen Fruit is an art collaboration originally conceived in 2004 by David Burns, Matias Viegener, and Austin Young. Since 2013, David Burns and Austin Young have continued the collaborative work.