a dead coyote on a fence near Lipan, TX, via http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenkuhl/95172104/
a photo I took of some catfish heads I found nailed to a post outside Mazon, IL, circa 2001
Recently, I came across this photo of catfish heads I took in high school, which spurred my investigation into the practice of putting dead things on fences. In the case of the coyote, the carcass is supposed to ward off other coyotes that might kill a farmer's cows - in a similar function as Vlad the Impaler's use of impaled enemies to warn off invading armies.
In the case of the catfish heads there are two possible explanations: 1. as a way of displaying your catches (trophies), or 2. a functional and easy way of cleaning a catfish evidently involves nailing the fish's head to a post to hold it in place while it is cleaned - the head is then cut off and left on the post afterward.
Thinking of these references I decided to take to task these odd bits of yellow expanding foam that I keep finding on the train tracks outside my apartment. The intervention is in a large empty lot (almost a whole block large) in my neighborhood.
Adam Farcus - Horns (intervention and photograph) 2011
So, I hope Horns is at once a trophy, a totem, and an (mythical) omen. What is a trophy or totem for is up for debate - fungus, dicks, disease, industry, abject objects...
Cat fish Heads on a fence is to atract meat lovers like Coyotes, hard to reach , easy to shut and also hang coyotes on a fence is to warn southern illegals leaders called "Coyotes" that if they trasspas they will be at list fenced.
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