Monument to Sharing
Public Artwork
Fallen Fruit (David Burns and Austin Young)
2017

A grove of 32 orange trees in planters located near the Ann Street Entrance of Los Angeles State Historic Park. Each planter has a phrase from a neighbor in the surrounding community. The phrases become a poem. We gathered the phrases as we planted over 150 trees in the neighborhood surrounding the park.

It’s a poem from collective voices of neighbors that wraps around a public orange grove and leads to fruit trees planted within the community and out into the world.

A Monument To Sharing

by Fallen Fruit (David Burns and Austin Young)

Yes, I have a story. It’s a beautiful story and a… Well to us it’s “bonita.”

My childhood stands out when i think about the neighborhood.

We came to this country out of necessity for a better life.

Like all immigrants we arrived with nothing. People helped us with food.

Now that we’ve been here for so long, we share with people in need.

Everyone here is different in their own way. My family is from mexico.

My Kids lived their lives here and always shared with our community. It’s important kids learn to share from a young age. A friend of mine shows her children educational youtube videos about sharing, and she says they are really learning a lot.

Sharing is really just time, spending time or taking time to do something with others.

If you give someone an orange, you are sharing with them.

Sharing means you are making someone happy.

There is a woman always by the parking lot. Sometimes I say hi and give her something. I know she has it kinda rough.

Sharing… is an expression of love, showing how much you want to connect.

I share my life with my kids, everything I learn, everything I do.

We have a big harvest in our culture. We worship anything that comes from the ground.

My family is from Vietnam and they came here during the war.

I like that it’s quiet and beautiful here, everyone is nice and friendly.

My family does this thing where we get a bunch of fruit and we put it into a shrine.

It’s always safe here. Everyone knows each other. We used to get oranges we would find floating down the river.

I eat an orange with my friend and we split it, cut it in half.

I grew up in El Salvador. I was born in Belize. I’m from Korea.

It is important to be around different types of people. It is important to experience nature and have room to breathe.

My whole life I needed to be in a melting pot area that was open to different cultures like this.

I moved here from the Northwest. The more people I meet, the more I feel connected.

I make a really good apple pie. you and I? Share a pie together.

I’m Guatemalan. My family makes caramelized figs. Put them in the oven and they come out sweet and crunchy.

I’ve been here 28 years, from Canton. My wife and I gathered Jujubee yesterday.

In Chinese culture, they are good for flavoring because they’re sweet.

Sharing is survival for everybody. Sharing is essential to life –it’s how you meet new friends.

I was born in Michoacán. I’ve been here for 56 years.

I share my lemon tree. Whoever wants one, go for it. It’s for everyone, not just for me. When I leave here, it will stay.

Sharing is like love my greatest happiness is making sure someone else is taken care of.

When i’m eating something the only thing that makes it taste the epitome of awesome, is to say to the person next to me… “here.”

Translation to Spanish and English:

Monumento del compartir
A Monument to Sharing

By Fallen Fruit (David Burns and Austin Young)

“a poem created with quotes with gathered from the surrounding neighbors”

1. Yes, I have a story. It’s a beautiful story and a… Well to us it’s “bonita.”
   Sí, tenemos una historia. Es una hermosa historia y… bueno, para nosotros es “bonita”.
2. My childhood stands out when i think about the neighborhood.
   Mi infancia se destaca cuando pienso en el barrio.
3. We came to this country out of necessity for a better life.
   Nosotros vinimos a este país por la necesidad de una vida mejor.
4. Like all immigrants we arrived with nothing. People helped us with food.
   Como todos los inmigrantes llegamos sin nada. Las personas nos ayudaron con alimentos.
5. Now that we’ve been here for so long, we share with people in need.
   Ahora que hemos estado aquí por mucho tiempo, nosotros compartimos con personas necesitadas.
6. Everyone here is different in their own way. My family is from mexico.
   Cada uno aquí es diferente en su propia manera. Mi familia es de México.
7. My Kids lived their lives here and always shared with our community.
   Mis hijos vivieron sus vidas aquí y siempre compartieron con nuestra comunidad.
8. Sharing is really just time, spending time or taking time to do something with others.
   Realmente compartir es simplemente tiempo, convivir o tomarse el tiempo para hacer algo con los demás.
9. If you give someone an orange, you are sharing with them.
   Si tú le das a alguien una manzana, estás compartiendo con ellos.
10. Sharing means you are making someone happy.
    Compartir significa que estás haciendo feliz a alguien.
11. There is a woman always by the parking lot. Sometimes I say hi and give her something. I know she has it kinda rough.
    Hay siempre una mujer en el estacionamiento. Algunas veces le digo hola y le doy algo. Sé que ella no la tiene fácil.
12. Sharing… is an expression of love, showing how much you want to connect.
    Compartir… es una expresión de amor, mostrando cuánto deseas conectar.
13. I share my life with my kids, everything I learn, everything I do.
    Yo comparto mi vida con mis hijos, todo lo que aprendo, todo lo que hago.
14. We have a big harvest in our culture. We worship anything that comes from the ground.
    Tenemos una gran cosecha en nuestra cultura. Adoramos todo lo que viene de la tierra.
15. My family is from Vietnam and they came here during the war.
    Mi familia es de Vietnam y ellos llegaron aquí durante la guerra.
16. I like that it’s quiet and beautiful here, everyone is nice and friendly.
    Me gusta que aquí es tranquilo y hermoso, todos son agradables y amistosos.
17. My family does this thing where we get a bunch of fruit and we put it into a shrine.
    Mi familia hace algo donde nosotros tenemos un montón de fruta y la ponemos en un altar.

18.It’s always safe here. Everyone knows each other. We used to get oranges we would find floating down the River.
Siempre es seguro aquí. Todos se conocen. Nosotros solíamos tomar naranjas que encontrábamos flotando en el río.

19. I eat an orange with my friend and we split it, cut it in half.
    Yo como una naranja con mi amigo y la dividimos, la partimos a la mitad.
20. I grew up in El Salvador. I was born in Belize. I’m from Korea.
    Yo crecí en El Savador. Nací en Belice. Soy de Corea.
21. It is important to be around different types of people. It is important to experience nature and have room to breathe.
    Es importante estar alrededor de diferentes tipos de personas. Es importante sentir la naturaleza y tener espacio para respirar.
22. My whole life I needed to be in a melting pot area that was open to different cultures like this.
    Toda mi vida he necesitado estar en un área de mezclas que estuviera abierta a diferentes culturas como ésta.
23. I moved here from the Northwest. The more people I meet, the more I feel connected.
    Me mudé aquí del Noroeste. Cuanta más gente conozco, más me siento conectado.

24.
I make a really good apple pie. you and I? Share a pie together.
Yo hago un muy buen pay de manzana. ¿Tú y yo? Compartamos un pay.

25.
I’m Guatemalan. My family makes caramelized figs. Put them in the oven and they come out sweet and crunchy.
Soy Guatemalteco. Mi familia hace higos caramelizados. Los ponemos en el horno y salen dulces y crujientes.

26.
I’ve been here 28 years, from Canton. My wife and I gathered Jujubee yesterday.
He estado aquí por 28 años, de Canton. Mi esposa y yo recolectamos jujubes ayer.

27.
In Chinese culture, they are good for flavoring because they’re sweet.
En la cultura China, son buenos para condimentar porque son dulces.

28. Sharing is survival for everybody. Sharing is essential to life –it’s how you meet new friends.
    Compartir es supervivencia para todos. Compartir es esencial para la vida –Es cómo conoces nuevos amigos.
29. I was born in Michoacán. I’ve been here for 56 years.
    Yo nací en Michoacán. He estado aquí por 56 años.
30. I share my lemon tree. Whoever wants one, go for it! It’s for everyone, not just for me. When I leave here, it will stay.
    Yo comparto mi árbol de limón. Quienquiera uno, vaya por él. Es para todos, no sólo para mí. Cuando me vaya de aquí, éste se quedará.
31. Sharing is like love. My greatest happiness is making sure someone else is taken care of.
    Compartir es como el amor. Mi más grande felicidad es asegurarme de que alguien más sea cuidado.
32. When i’m eating the only thing that makes it taste the epitome of awesome, is to say to the person next to me… “here.”
    Cuando estoy comiendo, lo único que lo hace saber grandioso, es decirle a la persona junto a mí… “¿Gustas?”.

A Monument to Sharing

at Los Angeles State Historic Park
1245 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles CA, 90012

Monument to Sharing– located at the orange grove near Spring Street and

More info HERE

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Endless Orchard Public Fruit Map

The Monument to Sharing is in the form of an instruction. Brief in language and simple in prose. The monument is less a physical sculpture and more a conceptual sculpture. A performance by the public who is willing to participate, not only within the context of the Los Angeles State Historic Park, but also in the world at large.

The Monument To Sharing, is a call back to the ancient customs of the land that frames the site. Long ago, before Los Angeles was a small village of settlers, this area along the LA River was a convergence of several major trails and an area where indigineous peoples came to trade. It is a place about connecting. That history is echoed by other famous trade routes, El Camino Real, Route 66 and of course the railways that all connect at Union Station.

The Monument to Sharing is a calling to bring forward what could be described as “trail culture.” It was a custom and due-dilligence of the west to take care of those you meet along the way, the stranger, the passerby. This essential act of kindness is somehow lost on our freeways systems and does not translate well through television or radio. Our connectedness to a place is historic and also immediate in real-time. This call back to a responsibility to be actively engaged and care for the people around is the impulse for the Monument To Sharing.

Huffington post story
LA Timesstory
The Endless Orchard and The Monument to Sharing are Fallen Fruit’s Creative Capital awarded projects and are funded by Creative Capital, The Muriel Pollia Foundation, The Good Works Foundation, The Awesome Foundation, and our Endless Orchard Kickstarter campaign.