L.A.’s Fruit Trees: A Photographic Celebration

Los Angeles Artist Maps the City’s Hidden Fruit Trees, One Sidewalk at a Time

LOS ANGELES — Aliana mt, a Los Angeles-based artist, has embarked on a unique and fruitful endeavor: mapping the city’s abundant, yet frequently enough overlooked, fruit trees. What began as a simple observation during neighborhood walks has blossomed into an intricate, hyper-local cartography project, revealing a hidden layer of Los Angeles’s urban landscape.”When I first moved to L.A., I was doing a lot of walks around my neighborhood,” mt recounts, noting her previous residences in pico Union and Echo Park before settling in Historic Filipinotown.”Everywhere I’ve lived,I’ve always done a lot of walking,and I noticed pretty quickly how abundant the land was.”

Inspired by the sheer volume of fruit trees dotting the cityscape, mt began documenting her discoveries. “There were so many fruit trees everywhere, and I was just really inspired by that,” she said.

Her method is simple, yet effective: whenever she encounters a fruit tree accessible from a public sidewalk, she marks its location on Google Maps with a blue placemark. The practice began with a single lemon tree near the Rampart exit off the 101 freeway.”I remember the first tree that I ever picked from was a lemon tree right off the Rampart exit on the 101, and I marked it on my Google Maps so I would remember that I could come back there for lemons,” mt explained.

Over time, this initial marker grew into a constellation of blue flags, transforming her digital map into a vibrant tapestry of urban orchards. The artist describes her map as one where “you can’t see streets, you can’t see any highways, because it’s just blue flags everywhere.”

“Ever since then, I’ve been marking fruit on my map, and now I have a crazy map,” mt said.

Mt considers herself a “collector” of sorts, meticulously charting the locations of these sidewalk-accessible fruit trees. Her work not only highlights the city’s natural bounty but also encourages residents to engage with their environment in a new way.

Mt’s project is featured in the April issue of Image, a publication exploring movement and its transformative power. The issue includes a photo shoot directed by mt, celebrating the “fruits of L.A.” and the hidden treasures found within the city’s neighborhoods.

what part of your neighborhood are you curious to discover new fruit trees in?

Mapping LA’s Hidden Orchards: An Interview with Aliana mt, Urban Cartographer

Introduction: Unveiling Los Angeles’s Edible landscape

Welcome to Archyde! Today, we’re thrilled to speak with Aliana mt, a Los angeles-based artist and urban cartographer, whose project is transforming the way we see our city. Aliana’s meticulous mapping of accessible fruit trees is not just a practical guide but a festivity of LA’s hidden natural bounty. Aliana, welcome to the show.

mt: Thanks for having me! I’m happy to be here.

The Genesis of a Fruity project: From Walks to Maps

Interviewer: So,Aliana,let’s go back to the beginning. What sparked this fascinating project? What led you to start mapping these hidden fruit trees?

mt: it really started with simple neighborhood walks. When I moved to LA, first in Pico-Union, then Echo Park, and eventually Historic Filipinotown, I spent a lot of time walking. And I kept noticing how abundant the fruit trees were, everywhere I went.

Interviewer: It’s easy to overlook those things, but clearly, you saw the potential immediately. When did it shift from simple observation to active documentation?

mt: The first tree I started tracking, was a lemon tree near the Rampart exit off the 101 freeway. I used Google Maps, simply to remember where it was. Then it just grew from there.

creating a Digital Orchard: Method and Vision

Interviewer: Tell us about your methodology. How do you decide which trees to include and how do you chart them?

mt: If a fruit tree is accessible from the public sidewalk, if it’s something I could potentially harvest from, it gets a blue placemark on my map. Now the map is a dense collection of blue flags, you can’t see any streets or highways, just the blue flags.

Interviewer: It sounds like a truly notable visual. Is your map available to the public?

mt: It’s a personal map,but I’m happy to share it with people who show genuine curiosity. However, the primary aim isn’t to have the map shared, but to encourage us to think about the abundance around us.

Connecting with the City: Impact and Inspiration

Interviewer: Your work goes beyond simply documenting; it encourages people to engage with the city differently. What kind of feedback have you received?

mt: I’ve received a lot of positive attention. People share with me when they find new trees, or have a deeper recognition for their surrounding neighborhood.It’s encouraging.

Interviewer: It’s featured in the April issue of Image, which explores movement and its transformative power. How does your project align with the issue’s theme?

mt: The whole ethos mirrors the theme. It’s about the everyday ‘movements’ and exploration of the neighborhoods in L.A.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Urban Fruit in los Angeles

Interviewer: In your opinion, what is the most surprising fruit tree in LA?

mt: Anything you would not expect. Like an uncommon fruit, in a random neighborhood.

Interviewer: this project feels like a form of rediscovery and re-evaluation of nature in the urban habitat. What do you hope people take away from your work?

mt: I hope people will start to see that even within a huge metropolitan area, there is so much untapped natural beauty and potential for community engagement. I wanted to show how we can have a closer connect to the food and nature in our urban environment.

Interviewer: Aliana, thank you for sharing your inspiring work with us today. Your perspective truly opens our eyes to a new way of seeing Los Angeles. For our readers, what part of your neighborhood are you curious to discover new fruit trees in? Let us no in the comments below!