My World Tuesday: On the Fence in Wilmington, North Carolina

I first glimpsed this art installation called the Key Fence during a horse-drawn tour of historic Wilmington, North Carolina, last summer. The fence surrounds a corner lot in the heart of the city, and it is covered with thousands upon thousands of keys.  Many are ordinary, but some are extraordinary.  We had a chance to take it in when we were in North Carolina during the Christmas break.

As someone who is always checking and double-checking where my keys are, the wall made me laugh. I wondered how little it mattered to the original owners of these keys that these keys were gone. What wasn't opening or closing as a result? And does it matter? The artwork made me laugh at myself and lighten up.

In the background of this shot is the Coast Guard cutter Diligence.

I liked the blending of colors and textures from the bottom of the empty lot to the sky. The fence seemed to me an illusory portal; all barriers seem to be illusions. How seriously should we take them?  We are as elemental as the materials in this image. The keys?  We have them. Like the bells that ring inside Children at Christmas, they are inside us.


My World Tuesday