Fallen Fruit

For the opening ceremony of the 2005 Canterbury Festival, Strange Cargo orchestrated "Fallen Fruit," a striking protest against EU subsidy cuts by destroying six tonnes of Kentish apples. Inspired by George Monbiot's article of the same name, the project highlighted the plight of traditional Kentish orchards facing the loss of EU subsidies. This withdrawal led to the uprooting of thousands of fruit trees deemed commercially unviable.

Partnering with composer Orlando Gough and choirmaster Jeremy Avis, Strange Cargo reimagined public participation with a politically charged approach. The project moved away from conventional celebration models, engaging 300 local singers and percussionists alongside the contemporary choir The Shout.

The event unfolded in Canterbury's Iron Bar Lane before a large audience. Elevated on staging, the choir performed Gough’s specially composed piece while a massive, sinister apple crusher—created by sculptor Andrew Baldwin—relentlessly pulverised the apples. The machine's flywheels, ratchets, gearings, and crankshafts roared as tonnes of apples were fed into the steel hopper, turning them into pulp and scattering waste on the ground.

Fallen Fruit marked a significant shift in Strange Cargo’s approach to community involvement, integrating political commentary with artistic expression. The event was supported by Brogdale, the National Fruit Collection's Faversham home, which, along with Paul Mansfield, supplied the six tonnes of apples.