Kenny Be's Yard Arteology: Growing pots in Congress Park

The study of neighbors through their lawn ornaments...

Figure 13. Congress Park: Yard Stools

Placing toilets in the front yard might yield less artistic results in any other neighborhood of the city. However, in this perfectly pleasant corner of Denver, the homeowner never has to worry that her flushers will be filled with anything other than fragrant flowers. The Congress Park neighborhood's mix of liberal, well-educated ex-Peace Corps volunteers, "green" professionals and trial lawyers is a hotbed of progressive lawn-ornament experimentation. It is perhaps the perfect place for citizens who can transcend the function of everyday life and contemplate its form.

In figure 13, the homeowner has half-buried and slightly tipped two toilets and a urinal in an effort to show the amazing wonders of the cycles of life, where poops and pees become petunias and sweat peas. The failure to remove the flush handle and to add superfluous decoration indicates that this is the work of a conceptual yard artist. In this context, the lowly potty has been elevated to the status of the fabulous flower pot, and conveys the philosophy that perpetuating life is the most important thing that we, as a species, can leave behind.