Heart Fence, 2005

The side fence of a house near downtown Palo Alto, California is painted white and every other board has the shape of a heart cut into it. A fence, by its nature, isn't a welcoming presence. It tells us to keep out. Perhaps in acknowledgement of this the owners decided to add the hearts. Hearts give another message; 'We love you...here, look through our hearts and see what nice people we are on the otherside--the side you're not allowed to be. Mind you, we aren't saying come in--just take a quick look and then move along." In addition, the fence is painted white. Instinctively, this informs us that the owners are neat and orderly as well as being pure of heart. White fences are a reminder of Mark Twain's story about Tom Sawyer who deviously conning others to whitewash a fence for him. We admire Sawyer's skill in getting the job done by trickery. But aren't we also fooled into thinking the Palo Alto fence is something that its not?