Eating in Public

Eating in Public
Originally uploaded by shinyu32.

Susan Schultz from Tinfish recently sent me a copy of this great little pamphlet book from Nomoola. Eating in Public is part performance art part community activism. Gaye Chan, who designs books for Tinfish, and a collaborator decided to see what would happen when they planted several papaya seedlings on public land, in the tradition of the Diggers. They put up a sign advertising their free papayas and offering them to who ever should want them. Joggers tramped several of the seedlings, ignoring the signs, but eventually, a handful of plants matured. In the mean time, Chan and her friend would receive handwritten notes from the representative of the owner of the land, saying that the papaya plants needed to be moved or they would be removed by the owner. Eventually, the papaya seedlings were cut down. The entire experiment inspired Gaye Chan to open a Freebay store, much in the spirit of Freecycle, where free plants, free building materials, and free labor have been made available. Participate in the gift economy! Pass on what you no longer need or use to someone who really is in need.