Before the Orchard, Part 3: Avocado
November 01 2011
The History of the Avocado
The avocado originated in the state of Puebla, Mexico. The oldest evidence of avocado use was found in a cave located in Coxcatlán, Puebla, Mexico that dates to around 10,000 years BC. The avocado tree also has a long history of cultivation in Central and South America; a water jar shaped like an avocado, dating to AD 900, was discovered in the pre-Incan city of Chan Cha. The first written record in English of the use of the word 'avocado' was by Hans Sloane in a 1696 index of Jamaican plants. The plant was introduced to Indonesia in 1750, Brazil in 1809, the Levant in 1908, and South Africa and Australia in the late 19th century. Since the 15th century the largest producer is Mexico, particularly in Uruapan in the state of Michoacán.
The word 'avocado' comes from the Nahuatl word ahuacatl, meaning 'testicle' in reference to the shape.The word ahuacatl is a pronunciation similar to the Spanish word abogado (lawyer), the preferred term for the fruit in Spain and some of the Caribbean. "Aguacate" is the only word used in Mexico and El salvador. Avocados were known by the Aztecs as 'the fertility fruit'. In some countries of South America, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay, the avocado is known by its Quechua name, palta. In other Spanish-speaking countries, it is called aguacate, and in Portuguese it is abacate.
The first Florida crops are credited to horticulturist Henry Perrine who planted groves in 1833. However, avocados did not become a commercial crop until the early 1900s. Except in California, Florida, and Hawaii where they were commonly grown, most consumers shied away from the fruit. Finally, in the 1950s, the avocado became popular as a salad item, and consumption became more widespread.
Easter
April 04 2010
Two days after Good Friday and three days after Maundy Thursday, today is Easter. Birds lay eggs, rabbits & hares give birth to large litters in the early spring. Let's celebrate symbols of the earth's fertility at the Vernal Equinox!
Before the Orchard, Part 2
March 27 2010
On the 20th of May, 1747, I selected 12 patients in the scurvy, on board the Salisbury at sea... The consequence was, that the most sudden and visible good effects were perceived from the use of oranges and lemons; one of those who had taken them, being at the end of 6 days fit for duty.
James Lind, Treatise on the Scurvy (1753)
The history of lemons, one of the Orchard fruits.
A small evergreen tree originally native to Asia, lemon is also the name of the tree's oval yellow fruit. The exact origin of the lemon has remained a mystery, though it is widely presumed that lemons first grew in India, northern Burma, and China. In South and South East Asia, it was known for its antiseptic properties and it was used as an antidote for various poisons. Lemons entered Europe, near southern Italy, no later than the first century AD, during the time of Ancient Rome. However, they were not widely cultivated. It was later introduced to Persia and then to Iraq and Egypt around AD 700. The lemon was first recorded in literature in a tenth century Arabic treatise on farming, and was also used as an ornamental plant in early Islamic gardens. It was distributed widely throughout the Arab world and the Mediterranean region between AD 1000 and AD 1150. The genetic origin of the lemon, however, was reported to be hybrid between sour orange and citron.
The lemon's travels began in the early Middle Ages on Arab vessels, and it was introduced into Europe near the end of the 12th century. The lemon was closely associated with long sea voyages and slavery, and in 1493 it crossed the Atlantic with Christopher Columbus and arrived in Haiti. To protect sailors from the scourge of scurvy that could make a man's teeth fall out in several week, or kill him if the illness had struck too far from land, there was only one remedy: lemon.
A writer serving under the French King Louis XIV wrote in his journal that the lemon had to be used whole, together with a good salad of raw onions in order to keep this curse away. This theory was taken up again by Dr. James Lind, a surgeon in the Royal Navy in the mid-18th century. Cook experimented with the recipe during his second voyage and was proud to have lost only a single man over the course of his long journey. Lemons became so associated with seafaring that their use was dictated by an English ordinance on all warships and trade vessels. British ships were given the nickname of "limejuicers" and the sailors "Limeys." At the Palais Précieux in the Paris of the Sun King, courtesans were treated to every witty diversion, and on evenings of balls and theatre, the women were entitled to receive sweet oranges and lemons from Portugal. In the list of Canadian plants drawn up by the Jesuits in the days of New France, it was recorded that "the fruit of this plant, which they call 'citronnier' in the country is good to eat; but the root is a violent poison which the natives sometimes used to resort to when they could not endure their sorrow." Catalan priests excommunicated the lemon, claiming that the devil had not succeeded in making it as round and perfect as the orange and that it had come from his hands as a deformed fruit. Virgil on the other hand, attributed it with protective powers against evil spells: "The sour apple with the persistent flavor is an unrivalled remedy when cruel stepmothers have poisoned a drink."
Mads Lynnerup
March 26 2010
Orchard guest Mads Lynnerup was recently interviewed by Patricia Maloney. You can read it on Art Practical and it will be availble as a podcast on Bad At Sports starting Sunday, March 28, 2010.
You can read his conversation on our site here.
Vernal Equinox
March 24 2010
Spring is here. The winter of dormant trees, now producing fruit for consumption.
Corrina Peipon Update
March 10 2010
We are beginning a series of statements from the artists who visted the Orchard, sharing what they are currently working on and thinking about. Viewed as letters from the past explaining the uncertain future, we hope these updates will continue the conversation already started at the Orchard.
We begin with Corrina Peipon. Read here conversation at the Orchard here.
"2009 was terrible. 2010 is nice, so far. It's cautious and mellow, but it has a good feeling, like getting grounded on something that's not super solid but being okay with that anyway.
It's funny because I was at MOCA (The Museum of Contemporary Art) when I visited the Orchard and talked with you. By the time the interview was edited and then published on your web site, I was already working at the Hammer Museum. The reason I mention it is because there is a significant portion of our conversation that focuses on work I did at MOCA.
I really like our interview. I can read it now and only cringe at a couple of things... I wish we hadn't waited until the end of my visit to do our interview, though. There is so much more to talk about, considering our common history, the breadth of my practice, et cetera.
The MOCA Focus exhibition I was slated to do with Drew Heitzler was cancelled. Blum & Poe ended up showing the work upstairs in their new space. While it was disappointing to be unable to personally finish a project that I initiated, I was so glad for Drew that the work was finally exhibited; we weathered so many ups and downs to make it happen. We're collaborating on a book project that relates to this particular body of work, too.
The permanent collection exhibition of Robert Frank photographs I was working on for MOCA was finished by another curator there. It was so great to see the whole portfolio of The Americans at once. There was some great ephemera included, as well.
I just opened my first Hammer Project. You can read about it here.
Jill Spector and I are working on a number of Friends & Relations projects, which is fun. I am building out a small studio that I think will end up being more like an atelier, a space for making work but also perhaps a salon, a shop, an exhibition space...
I'm re-learning how to play tennis. After playing most of my life and then taking a long break, it's so great to play again and to refine my strokes. I'm enrolled in a weekly clinic with a great teacher, and I've been hitting a couple of times a week with friends. It's kind of all I want to do lately... I can't wait to hit with you again one of these days.
There are probably a million more things I could mention...
Much love from,
Corrina"
Before the Orchard, Part 1
February 09 2010
The Native American tribe of Chumash people inhabited the land where our lemon and avocado trees live. Our northerly neighbor, Ojai, is a town with name with Chumash origins. Archealogical research shows that the Chumash have deep roots in the Santa Barbara Channel area and lived along the southern California Coast for millennia. A good sized group of people, it is guessed that the Chumash nation was around 15,000. Their population decreased when intermittent contacts with the crews of Spanish ships—including those of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's expedition who wintered in the Santa Barbara Channel in AD 1542-43—brought disease and death. But the Chumash appear to have been thriving in the late 18th century when Spaniards first began actively colonizing the California coast. Whether the deaths began earlier with the contacts with ships' crew, or only later with the construction of several Spanish missions at Ventura, Santa Barbara, Lompoc, Santa Inez, and San Luis Obispo, the Chumash were eventually devastated by Old World diseases such as influenza and smallpox, to which they had no immunological resistance. By 1900, their numbers had declined to just 200.
They spoke a family of languages, known for their consonant harmony, a regressive sibilant harmony.
Chumash Glossary
All of the Chumashan languages are now extinct, although they are well documented in the unpublished fieldnotes of linguist John Peabody Harrington. Especially well documented are the Barbareño, Ineseño, and Ventureño dialects. The last speaker of a Chumashan language was Barbareño speaker Mary Yee, who died in 1965. Written Chumash language is almost wanting except for Christian prayers, which were translated for Native Americans by Franciscan priests.
Chumash Translation of Christian Prayer
Also documented is a Chumash song.
A new year.
January 22 2010
Jennifer Locke
January 14 2010
New conversation with Jennifer Locke is now up, read more here. Her website shows a range of her work, and two of her pieces can also be seen on the QNA archive.
"Black/White (Plaster)", at the Marina Abramovic Institute West, 2009
A Holiday Break…
January 06 2010
We took a break from the internet for the holidays, a gift of more time in "real life."
Jacob Hartman
December 22 2009
Found this charming, old drawing today. It reminded me of the beginning our conversation with Jacob, where he tells a story of his mother's pet dog. You can read it here.
Today will be lighter and longer than yesterday. Happy Winter Solstice!
Tony Labat on EAI
December 19 2009
Electronic Arts Intermix has a nice selection of pieces by Tony Labat, an artist visitor and friend to the Orchard Projects.
The EAI collection spans the mid-1960s to the present, and has one of the most comprehensive video art collections in the world, a site definitely worth searching through.
You can read our interview with Tony here, and read more about Tony's pieces here on EAI.
We will also be putting up Jennifer Locke's interview at the new year, whose work continues the conversation of Bay Area performance art.
Stay tuned
December 14 2009
New year, new site. Check back soon for changes.
Almost Thanksgiving…
November 23 2009
Please check back soon for conversations with Jacob Hartman and Jennifer Locke. To see their work, please visit jacobhartman.net and jenniferlocke.net.
Until our next post, reflect and ponder the poetic facts of our upcoming celebration and holiday, Thanksgiving.
Guinea Fowl, craneberries, and Nobel Peace prizes
A case of mistaken identity resulted in the American Turkey being named after the country. The Spanish first found the bird in the Americas more than 400 years ago, and brought it back to Europe. The English mistakenly thought it was a bird they called a "turkey" so they gave it the same name.
This other bird was actually from Africa, but came to England by way of the Turkey. The name stuck even with the realization that the birds weren't the same, adding to a history of facts based on mistakes.
The cranberry gets its name from early American settlers, who found resemblance in the fruit's blossom and the neck and bill of a crane. The name "craneberry" has been shortened to "cranberry."
A Thanksgiving creation, stuffing or dressing, has become easier to make at home thanks to Stove Top stuffing. It was developed by Kraft General Foods research team, comprised of three Nobel Prize winning scientists.
Update August 1st, 2009
August 01 2009
Jacob Hartman, Desired Effects, 2009, ink on paper, courtesy of the artist
Jacob Hartman is coming to visit sunny Southern California from rigid, barren Brooklyn!
Jacob works in a multitude of media including video, sculpture and photography, often culminating in large-scale installations pointing to their own modes of production and exploring the 'linear narrative' of art making. In this way Hartman navigates (or circumnavigates) what we perceive to be 'Natural,' or a progression of the 'Natural,' with the intent of subverting such a perception in on itself, allowing the viewer to renegotiate their relationship not only to the work on view but to the world at large. Basically, he gives the "real" the middle finger.
Jacob's recent solo exhibitions include _ _ _ _ _ Head at the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, Oregon; This _ _ _ _ Will Last Forever, Drew College, New Jersey; and Psyche Wall, New Langton Arts, California. He has also been included in numerous group shows most recently at The Living Room, Art Basel Miami Beach, FL; CRG Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; Exit Art, New York, NY; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA; and Four Walls, San Francisco, CA. Hartman received his BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1997 and his MFA from Bard College in 2004. He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
You can check out Jacob's website at www.jacobhartman.net.
Recent conversations:
Tony Labat
Cheryl Meeker
Corrina Peipon, Part 1
Corrina Peipon, Part 2
Tony Labat at the Orchard, June 18, 2009
Update: Sarah McMenimen
June 15 2009
One of the most exciting aspects of this project for us is capturing an honest, varied and clearheaded cross-section of the creative forces driving, or learning to drive, California today. The great thing is, that spirit allows us to learn from just about anybody. The diverse lessons learned from simple observation can weave themselves together; creating a blanket of understanding you can snuggle under, build a fort with, or wipe your muddy shoes on. Whatever you damn well please.
That’s why we’ve asked a few artists to tell us what it’s like jumping through the fiery hoop that is “art school.” Corrina Peipon, who attended The San Francisco Art Institute in’94, told us she felt “lucky to meet really fucking smart, talented, funny and out-of-hand interesting people.” Sarah McMenimen graduated from California College of the Arts only two months ago. Over a batch of home-made doughnuts, she shared her concern over her school's lack of engagement with a living, breathing art world.
The idea here is that, given the nature of any curriculum attempting to teach a unique creative process, our frameworks and modes of thinking about ‘useful’ or ‘successful’ education is going to be upchucked more than a freshman’s pizza party swimming in 40 ounces of the champagne of beers. Many, many people have pointed this out. We know. But how many of them have actually bothered to ask an alumni if it was worth the fifty years of debt they incurred in the process? And with that steep fee that is ever increasing, has the product warranted such a price tag? There’s only one way to find out. Tell us! Send us an email at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and give us a piece of your mind. We don’t care if you graduated in 1963 or if you’re sending us an email from your iPhone on your way to Figure Drawing II. We don’t care if you received a BFA in 3 years, an MFA in 2, and a doctorate in Art History (or, God forbid, Critical Theory). We don’t care if you’ve never even stepped foot on an art school’s Parliament Lights littered floor. We want to know your thoughts and experiences regarding the matter. We might even post ‘em (with your permission, of course)!
To get the gears rolling, check out our conversation with Sarah and Part II of Corrina’s. We look forward to reading your responses, (MLA format not necessary or necessarily encouraged).
READ OUR CONVERSATION WITH SARAH
READ PART ONE OF OUR CONVERSATION WITH CORRINA
Cheryl Meeker and Ishan Clemenco
Cheryl Meeker and Ishan Clemenco at The Orchard Projects, May 2, 2009
Aram Moshayedi and Jedediah Caesar
Spring
December 31 1969
Spring at the Orchard. Roots growing all fall and winter, bearing fruit for consumption. Spring almost sounds like summer.