Never Fruit was a sculptural intervention curated by Beatriz Salinas Marambio that took place in the Odense Harbor area on the beach volley court. The project took its starting point in the story of local shipyard electrician Sigurd Weber, who in 1943 during the German occupation managed to sabotage the mining ship ‘Linz’ in Odense harbor. The "Linz", was a ship originally supposed to be serving as a cargo ship for fruits from South America to Europe. When the war broke out it was instead converted to a mining ship to be used by German forces. The sabotage of the ship was an important event in the Danish resistance that led to a general strike that quickly escalated to other cities as part of the civil unrest and resistance during the summer of 1943.

Starting from these historical facts the intervention aimed to open a space to connect the public with the ideas of care and activism in a moment in society where we are revisiting ideas of cooperation and care due the worldwide situation (this was in the beginning of covid). Furthermore, the idea of micro-activism, thinking of our daily actions as part of change in society, is a concept that the intervention brings to discussion. For the intervention I worked with the materiality and shape of a typical fruit from South America, Chirimoya. This fruit that looks something in-between an ancient rock and a grenade contains a soft and perfumed meat inside. The coarse skin does not match with its softness and delicacy, transforming this fruit into a symbol of care and nourishment but also of global connections and historical contexts. How do we care for each other during these times? How strong and different is our own “skin” compared with our inner selves? How resistant is our “skin”? Moreover, the project seeks to question the historical narrative of the individual towards the collective body. Who has the right to propose spaces for change? How can a collective body push new spheres of change? The public intervention took place in the beach volleyball area in the harbor area of Odense, where the artist installed several “Chirimoyas” in the sand area. “Stories bring us together, untold stories keep us apart” says the novelist and activist Elif Shafak. In a time where despite interconnectedness the feeling of loneliness is there, Never Fruit seeks to open a space of encounter, where stories of care and micro-activism could exist and be shared.
The intervention was realized in collaboration with Odense Harbor and Det Blå Kvarter and made possible with support from SLKS.
The project included a public walk and conversation between the artist and historian Andreas Skov from Historiens Hus (local archives) in Odense.