| dc.description.abstract | The house and the yard have ceased to be solely functional objects. Rather, today
they are often invested with tremendous amounts of time and money resulting in objects
which transcend traditionally functional roles to become objects of expressive
communication. What follows is an investigation of the house and yard, looking
specifically at one aspect - the front yard. The term 'front yard', to cite the City of
Thunder Bay's by-laws, "means a yard extending across the full width of the lot between
the front lot line and the nearest part of any building or structure or open storage use on
the lot" (820.1.5). Or more simply put, the front yard in a broad sense defines a myriad of
objects that exist or come together in the forefront of a property or boundary. A typical
front yard has a part sectioned for grass and lawn; another part is usually set aside for
plantings (flowers, trees, shrubs, etc.); there is in many instances a defined path onto the
property, from the sidewalk and from the street, as well as a path to the entrance of the
house. For my purposes "the front yard" is the totality of objects within a particular
space defined from one edge of the property to the next, and beginning at the front edge
of an individual's private space up to but not including the front of the house.
The front yard is an artificial creation and there exist preferred genres or models
that define and structure spatial organization, construction and/or deconstruction. Thick
green carpets of grass, structured gardens and bright flowers, manicured bushes and
shrubs, and paved pathways are not natural occurrences. These objects create a geosocial
artifact, which should be recognized as a mixed medium. The front yard is created
through the selection and assemblage of choice objects; it communicates both cultural
and personal factors intentionally and unintentionally. | |
