Tree of 40 Fruit

The Tree of 40 Fruit is an ongoing series of unique hybridized fruit trees by

contemporary artist Sam Van Aken. Each Tree of 40 Fruit is a single fruit tree
that grows over 40 different types of stone fruit including peaches, plums,
apricots, nectarines, and cherries. Sculpted through the process of grafting, the
Tree of 40 Fruit blossom in variegated tones of pink, crimson and white in spring,
and in summer bear a multitude of different fruit. Primarily composed of native
and antique varieties the Tree of 40 Fruit are a form of conversation, preserving
heirloom stone fruit varieties that are not commercially available.

As a symbolic number found throughout western religion, culture, and even

within government, the number 40 symbolizes the infinite, a bounty that is
beyond calculation. Like the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, these trees are a
potential; they are the beginning of a narrative that transforms the site they are
located in. The far-reaching implications of these sculptures include issues of
genetic engineering, biodiversity versus food monoculture, and, ultimately, the
symbiosis of humankinds relation to nature. As an allegorical sculpture Van
Akens Trees of 40 Fruit begin a dialogue.

***
Through an expansive approach that incorporates new technology and traditional modes
of art making Sam Van Akens work combines such genres as sculpture, sound, video,
and performance. Taking place in lived experience, through such forms as radio hoaxes,
a Hollywood film carried out into the real, a tree that grows 40 different types of fruit, and
a hole created in the winter skies over New York, his work is an intervention in public
and social space that transforms cultural configurations, the common sense of practices,
and the natural order of things to deliver one to a place of unknowing where the very
possibility of openness and change occur.

Born in Reading Pennsylvania, Sam Van Akens work has been exhibited nationally and
internationally receiving numerous awards including the Joan Mitchell Foundation
Painters and Sculptors Grant; the Creative Capital Grant in Emerging Fields; the United
States Information Agency; and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. He is
an associate professor in the Art Department at Syracuse University.
Cultivars
There are hundreds if not thousands of individual stone fruit varieties or cultivars
within the family of stone fruits including peach, plum, apricot, nectarine, cherry,
and almond. Within each of these species of fruit there is extraordinary variation
in color of blossom, bloom time, leaf pattern, fruit size, form, color, texture, and
taste. Due to the similarity of their chromosomal structure it is possible to graft
these varieties together to form a single tree.
The Grafting Process

The Trees of 40 Fruits are developed through the process of chip grafting. In
February each year, scions are collected throughout central New York and
whenever possible from trees and orchards in the region where the tree has
been planted. The scions are 12-18 sections of the current seasons growth and
are collected from different cultivars (the types and varieties of stone fruits). Once
the budstock are collected they are stored until spring when they are top
worked on to the tree. This is done by chip grafting, slicing the small buds from
the budstock and inserting them into equally sized chips removed from the
branches of the interstock. 3-4 bud chip grafts are performed on each branch.
The buds then heal to the branches and then emerge as new growth.

Design

Each tree is composed of three essential parts: the rootstock, the interstock,
which forms the trunk or central leader of the tree, and finally the lateral branches
from which the fruit grows. The process of developing a tree begins by selecting
a rootstock that will determines the size of the tree and the climate that the tree
will be able to grow in. Each tree begins after one year of growth, when the
rootstock is cut 3-4 inches above the soil line and the interstock is grafted to it.
The interstock is selected for its hardiness and strength. For the Trees of 40
Fruit, the interstock is either a European or Asian Plum variety that

The Tree of 40 Fruit are pruned to develop an open center vase shape, typical
of most fruit trees.
Apricots Bloom Order Chart
Manchurian White-pink flowers/Small yellow-red fruit /Ripens mid-Summer (2-3 yrs after planting)
Tomcot Fragrant pink blooms/Long blooming period (3 weeks)/Large orange fruit/Ripens in early-Summer (earliest to ripen)
Chinese/Mormon (2010 stock) Pink-white blooms (cold/frost hardy)/Small-medium, yellow-orange fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Tilton Fragrant pink blooms/Medium orange fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Harogem Fragrant pink blooms/Medium bright orange-red fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Harlayne Pinkish/white blooms/Medium orange-blush fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Earligold Fragrant white blooms (produce the most blooms)/Large golden fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Moorpark Fragrant white blooms/Large orange-red fruit/Ripens late early to mid-Summer

Red Plums Bloom Order Chart

(Asian/Japanese)
Golden Nectar White blooms/Large yellow fruit
Sprite Pink/white blooms
Early Golden Large white blooms/Large red-blush fruit/Ripens in mid-Summer
Kaga Bright pink blooms/Small red fruit (very sweet)/Ripens mid-Summer
Hollywood Light pink blooms/Large reddish-purple fruit/Ripens early to mid-Summer
Beauty White blooms/Medium bright red fruit/Ripens early-Summer
Emerald Beauty White blooms/Light green fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Methley (2010 stock) Delicate white blooms/Medium-large reddish fruit/Ripens early-Summer
Satsuma Pink/white blooms/Large dark-red fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Black Amber (2010 stock) Rose/mauve blooms/Large black-red fruit/Ripens by mid to late-Summer
Santa Rosa White blooms/Ripens early-Summer
Oblinaja Purple-pink-white blooms/Medium red fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Shiro White blooms/Large yellow fruit/Ripens mid to late-Summer
Delight White blooms
Vanier (2010 stock) Fragrant white blooms/Medium bluish-red fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Fortune (2010 stock) Pink blooms/Large bright red fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Alderman Large white blooms/Large dark red fruit/Ripens mid-Summer (about 1 year after planting)
Superior White blooms/Large red blush fruit/Ripens mid to late-Summer

Peaches Bloom Order Chart

Carolina Belle (2010 stock)
Klondike White (2010 stock)
Sugar Giant (2010 stock)
Saturn
Canadian Harmony
Raritan Rose (2010 stock)
Contender (2010 stock)
Cresthaven
Reliance (2010 stock)
Red Star (2010 stock)
Redhaven
Harrow Diamond (2010 stock)
Pink blooms/Medium-large ovate pinkish-red fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Pink blooms/Large pink-red fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Pink blooms/Large ovate purplish-red fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Bright pink blooms/Small whitish-yellow donut fruit/Ripens early-Summer
Pink & white blooms/Medium-large yellow fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Fragrant pink & white blooms/Medium-large red streaked fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Pink blooms/Medium-large red-orange fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Pink blooms/Reddish-yellow fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Pink blooms/Yellow fruit with red hues/Ripens early-Summer
Dark pink blooms/Large fruit/Ripens early-Summer
Fragrant pink blooms/Large golden red fruit/Ripens early-Summer (long harvest season)
Pink blooms/Red blush fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Peaches
Garnett Beauty (2010 stock)
Intrepid (2010 stock)
Hale
Loring
Madison (2010 stock)
Veteran (2010 stock)
Rising Star (2010 stock)
China Pearl (2010 stock)
Tangos II (2010 stock)
Galaxy (2010 stock)
Bloom Order Chart
Fragrant pink/white blooms/Medium fruit
Pink blooms/Medium yellow fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Pink blooms/Large golden skinned fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Fragrant white bloom/Large yellow fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Pink & white blooms/Medium-sized golden fruit/Ripens mid-Summer (heavy bearing)
Pink blooms/Medium yellow fruit
Pink blooms/Medium bright red fruit/Ripens early-Summer
White-pink blooms/Very large fruit
Bright pink blooms/Creamy green-skinned fruit/Ripens mid to late-Summer
Large pink blooms/Large blush red fruit/Ripens early-Summer

Nectarines Bloom Order Chart

Rose Princess Fragrant purplish-pink blooms/Large red fruit/Ripens in mid-Summer
Redbud Red blooms/Medium dark red fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Fantasia (2010 stock) Pink blooms/Large, egg-shaped red fruit/Ripens in mid-Summer
Independence Pink blooms/Sweet/juicy fruit/Ripens in early-Summer (bears 3-5 years after planting)
Nectared Pink blooms/Firm yellow fruit/Ripens late-Summer

European Plums Bloom Order Chart

Valor Fragrant white blooms/Large violet-blue fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Kuban Comet Full bloom/Medium yellow teardrop-shaped fruit/Ripens early-Summer
Early Laxton White blooms/Pinkish-orange fruit dotted with rose & violet/Ripens by mid-Summer
Bavay Gage White blooms/Medium green-yellow fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Coes Golden White blooms/Large yellow fruit/Ripens mid-Summer
Rosy Gage (2010 stock) Bright pink blooms/Yellow-green to pink-rose skinned fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Long John White blooms/Large elongated blue fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Prune d Ente 707 White blooms/Large very sweet violet-red fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Purple Gage White blooms/Medium bright purple fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Victoria White blooms/Large oval pink fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Reine Claude Doree White blooms/Small yellow-green fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Oullins Gage (2010 stock) White blooms/Large yellow fruit/Ripens late-Summer
President (2010 stock) Pink-white blooms/Large blue fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Blues Jam Pink-white blooms/Small dark blue fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Ersinger White blooms/Medium blue oblong fruit/Ripens early-Summer
G Romanesc Full bloom/Medium blue fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Cambridge White blooms/Medium yellow-green fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Pozegaca White blooms/Small to medium blue/black fruit
Imp. Epineuse White blooms/Large purple-red fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Jubileum White blooms
Kirkes Blue Pink-white blooms/Large dark blue fruit
Seneca Large white blooms/Large reddish-purple fruit
Stanley White blooms/Medium dark-blue fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Italian Large white blooms/Large purple fruit/Ripens late-Summer
European Plums Bloom Order Chart
Geneva Mirabell (2010 stock) Large white blooms/Small yellow fruit with slight pink blush (very sweet)/Ripens mid-Summer
Reine de Mirabelle Large white blooms/Medium sweet yellow fruit/Ripens late-Summer
Green Gage White blooms/Green fruit with freckles (NOT ATTRACTIVE)/Great flavor/Ripens mid-Summer

Cherries Bloom Order Chart

New Yorker (2010 stock) Deep pink blooms
Emperor Francis Large white-pink blooms/Large dark-red fruit (best sweet cherry)/Ripen early to mid-Summer
Ranier (2010 stock) Large white blooms/Yellow-red large fruit (very sweet)/Ripens early to mid-Summer
Hartland Pink blooms/Large dark red fruit (sweet and most flavorful)/Ripens mid-Summer
Bing White blooms/Very large dark red fruit (very sweet and rich)/Ripens early-Summer
Early Burlat White blooms/Large dark red fruit (sweet)
Stella White blooms/Small dark red fruit (sweet)/Ripens in early-Summer
Tehranivee Large white blooms/Large black-red fruit (very sweet)/Ripens mid-Summer
Lapins (2010 stock) Large pink blooms/Large dark-red fruit (very juicy)/Ripens mid-Summer
Vandalay Pink blooms/Large black fruit (sweet)/Ripens mid to late-Summer
Sweet Heart (2010 stock) Pink/white blooms/Large bright red fruit/Ripens in mid to late-Summer
Kristin Large pink blooms/Large black fruit (sweet and very hardy)/Ripens mid-Summer
White Gold Large white-pink blooms/Large red blush fruit (sweet)/Ripens early to mid-Summer
Angela White blooms/Medium to large black fruit (sweet)/Ripens late-Summer
Black Gold Large white blooms/Large dark red fruit (sweet)/Ripens early to mid-Summer
Hudson Large pink blooms/Medium dark red fruit (sweet)/Ripens late-Summer
Kordia Large white blooms/Large black cherry (sweet)

Late-Winter/Early-Spring Early-Spring

Mid-Spring Late-Spring

Usual order of bloom:

Apricots
Japanese Plums
Peaches
Nectarines
European Plums
Cherries
Blossom

By documenting the time of blossom for each of the different fruit varieties, the
trees are then grafted/sculpted in such a way that they continuously blossom for
over a month each spring.
Circles Indicate Sites where Tree of 40 Fruit is Located

USDA Grow Zones

 New Edens
Sam Van Aken

Armory Show 2011

Pier 94/Booth 949 Twelfth Avenue at 55th St
March 3-March 6, 2011

Opening Hours:
Thursday, March 3-Saturday March 5: Noon to 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 6: Noon to 7:00 PM

The Feldman Gallery will exhibit a solo installation by Sam Van Aken entitled New
Edens. An orchard of trees with genetically altered properties will be the main feature
of the booth. As designed and grafted by the artist, the trunks and leader branches
identify the trees as peach, plum, cherry, nectarine, and apricot, respectively, but each
tree has the capacity to simultaneously grow all five fruits. As work in progress, one
can see the five different blossoms on each tree. Alongside the orchard will be
synthetic mutations of grafted fruits which form strange and provocative hybrids. A
display stand will have hybrid vegetable seed starters in small pots, and on the walls
will be large digital prints composed from mixed seed packets, part of the artists raw
material.

The far-reaching implication of these sculptures include issues of genetic engineering,

biodiversity versus food monoculture, and, ultimately, the symbiosis of humankinds
relation to nature. Far from being the passive recipients of foodstuffs as we go about
our daily lives of shopping and eating, we are implicated in the active role of
participating in the modern technology of food growth and distribution.

Combining sophisticated technology with traditional modes of art-making, Van Akens

projects cross boundaries between artistic genres, including performance, installation,
video, photography, and sculpture. With each body of work, he selects practices and
new perspectives that provide a kinesthetic perception of objects and a visceral
charge. Sharon Corwin has written in Currents 2 (Colby College Museum of Art):
There is a blatant sexuality to the hybrids, especially evident in the combination of an
apple and a strawberry. And yet while Van Akens mutant fruit might elicit laughter, it is
also quite horrifying in the context of our genetically modified world.

Sam Van Aken is newly represented by the Feldman Gallery, His sculpture, oh my
god (2006), which presents a monumental wall constructed from box stereo speakers
that emit sound clips of the eponymous phrase, ranging, ranging from the voice of
Homer Simpson to witnesses to 9/11, was included in two recent group shows
organized by the gallery in New York and in Miami: En-Garde II: omg and En-Garde.
Robert Shuster, writing in The Village Voice, described that work as brilliantly satirizing
our sensationalistic culture. Sam Van Aken has exhibited his work nationally and
internationally and has received numerous awards including Joan Mitchell Foundation
Painters and Sculptors Grant, the Creative Capital Grant in Emerging Fields and
grants from the United States Information Agency and the Andy Warhol Foundation for
the Visual Arts. He is currently an Associate Professor and the Sculpture Program
Director at Syracuse University.