This was part of a group launching done by CADRE students in May 1999 out in a part of Death Valley called Lucky Jim Wash.

                                    

My intent with this piece was to explore the potential trajectories of 'non-rocket' rockets of varying aerodynamic qualities, masses, and shapes. The chosen objects were selected pieces of produce — namely a large bartlett pear, a cucumber, a japanese eggplant, a fuji apple, a red delicious apple, and a banana — each outfitted with an engine mount, fins, and an Estes C-65 rocket engine.

                                    

Upon launching each rocket took a unique and interesting trajectory:

• The banana, by far the favorite of and nicknamed 'the boomerang' by the observers, shot straight into the air in a corkscrew pattern, then leveled out and sailed north, following a smooth u-turn and sailed east where it came to a gentle landing.
• The pear popped off the launchpad and spun on the ground, drilling a five-yard path through the brush.
• The fuji apple popped off the launchpad, spun for a short time on the ground, then went on a 'squiggle' trajectory about 3 feet off the ground, chasing one of the bartenders, and spraying her with H²O vapors. The bartender was not injured.

surface-to-air cucumber
• The cucumber had the most model rocket-like launch. It shot up into the air, came to a nicely-formed apogee, then landed in the brush about 20 yards away from the launch site.
• The japanese eggplant shot into the air in a corkscrew, then flew over the heads of the observers and landed behind the rock that was used for shelter. It was apparent that some sort of internal combustion had oocured, as there were fuel burns on the interior tissue.
• The red delicious apple popped off the launchpad, spun on the ground, destroying all of its fins, then unexpectedly shot up about fifty feet in the air, came to a nicely formed apogee, then landed behind the shelter rock.

Aside from the simple exploration of launching dynamics, this piece also represents the following contrast: model rockets, which are replicas of weapons of mass destruction (i.e.: missiles), hard, life-destroying, 'masculine' in form, non-organic, vs. fruit & vegetables, which are organic, soft, life-giving & 'feminine' in form.