Promiscuous Production was an effort to explore the meanings of bitterness and sweetness through the cross pollination of two varieties of melon to form a new hybrid variety, the bittersweet melon.  The artists, the National Bittermelon Council, provided the concept for the project, and Materials & Applications executed the design and construction of the trellis for Fallen Fruit's EATLACMA series. 

The idea behind the project was to create a ‘farmden’ which utilized two intersecting arches along which the melons would grow.  The form acted as a means for bringing both varieties of melon together and symbolized the blending of ideas and tastes.  We adjusted the form to fit the site, creating a trellis which began as two vaulted archways along the wider axis of the site to become a single vault along the narrower end of the site.  Over the course of three weekends we harvested, prepped, formed, and lashed green bamboo from the LACMA grounds.  We then planted the melons either as seeds or infant plants.  The project opened in May 2010, and closed in November 2010, producing hundreds of melons whose seeds were harvested as the means growing the new hybrid variety, the bittersweet melon.

Design Team: National Bitter Melon Council w/ Materials & Applications

Position Held: Project Manager/Lead Fabricator