On Apples

Corin Hewitt, Photograph from Seed Stage, 2008.

This season, the Whitney Museum's free art series "Multiple Edition" takes a cue from blog culture and considers the theme of oversharing—what information do we give away; how do we share our thoughts, process, or materials; what would constitute too much for an artist? Each artist in the series is commissioned to create 200 multiples that are given away—free of charge—during their program.

Last week, I attended the Corin Hewitt program to learn more about the ideas behind his installation Seed Stage: a still life/lab/cannery/art studio/object on view in the Whit's Lobby Gallery. Hewitt, who will occupy the space three days per week through January 4, said "I see this piece as an image in motion." He was joined by digital artist Siebren Versteeg who gave a slightly dizzying explanation of pixels, looms and weaving in relationship to their collaborative project and multiple OUiKiLTiT. This digital program essentially allows one to create plaid based on the color-scheme of any image and then manipulate the pattern's thread count. It took me a while to figure out how to alter one of the provided templates with the little eye-dropper that is both the program's manipulation tool and mouse icon. Once I got that down, I tried to load a rather arbitrary image into the program and wallah! A mouth watering picture of baked apples from The Alternative Homemaker...

...turns into Baked Apple Plaid.

As cool as this is, I can't see myself using it again (not even to make place mats), but that's also what I said about my apple corer/wedger and now slicing with a knife seems arduous. Apparently, PC and MAC versions of OUiKiLTiT will be available for download from the Whitney's website soon.

It actually wasn't Hewitt's talk (in which I would have liked to hear more about his actual process of cooking, eating and canning) that prompted this post, but a gift from a friend before the event began: apples from Masker Orchards in Warwick, New York.

If I had to guess (and I do) which 5 fruits have been depicted most in the history of art, apples would be in my top two. You can find apples rendered throughout time and across cultures, from the works of Albrecht Durer, and Cezanne, to the candied sculptures of New York street artist Celso.

Albrecht Dürer, "Adam and Eve", 1507.

Claes Oldenburg And Coosje Van Bruggen, "Apple Core" (1990) at the Israel Museum of Art, Jerusalem.

Celso's apples on Fifth Ave. Photograph by C-Monster.

A little research in my books Nature and Its Symbols (yawn), and Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany (a less academic and more engaging book) provides random tidbits of information about apples. Schott goes a step beyond to include perhaps the most prominent apple today:

"Turing's Apples relate to Alan M. Turing (1912-54)--a pioneer of early computing who was awarded one the OBE for his work on the Enigma code. In June 1954, having been exposed as a homosexual, Turing committed suicide apparently by eating an apple that he had impregnated with cyanide. It has been suggested that Apple Macintosh computers were so named in tribute to Turing."

Other random (and less somber) apple facts:

October is National Apple Month; Two pounds of apples make one 9-inch pie; 100 varieties of apples are grown commercially in the United States; Apple trees take 4 or 5 years to produce their first fruit; Most apples are still picked by hand in the Fall; The apple tree originated in an area between the Caspian and the Black Sea; Apples are a member of the rose family; It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple; World's top apple producers are China, United States, Turkey, Poland and Italy; A bushel of apples weights about 42 pounds and will yield 20-24 quarts of applesauce; Almost one out of every four apples harvested in the United States is exported; and apples were supposedly the favorite fruit of ancient Greeks and Romans.

Artist unkown. Herculeswith the apple of Hesperides. Gilded bronze, Roman artwork, 2nd century BC.

Going back to my apples from Masker Orchard: According to their ripening schedule, mid to late October is peak season for Ida Reds, Golden Delicious, Romes and Mutsu. Some are suggested for cooking while others for eating raw. I have no idea which species I have/had, but I baked a few, planning to fill the cores with yogurt, walnuts and honey. I imagined they would look something like the golden beauties above, but I left mine in the oven too long and they exploded. The result was the best applesauce I've ever had. Get the recipe here.