One of the things I love is a bit of a practical joke. Especially if the “victim” is a government, a big corporation, or just a deserving entity of any kind, be they an individual or otherwise. Apparently, this is/was an excellent example of such an exercise in poking a little fun at local authorities and organizations.
There’s not a lot of description that you can do about this sort of thing. It is a sculpture and fountain consisting of several receptacles that closely resemble the good old fashioned hospital bedpan. When I visited here, even though it had been referred to as “Bedpan Fountain,” I assumed that the artist had something else in mind that unfortunately LOOKED LIKE a series of bedpans. But, alas, the back story is seemingly much better!
This art installation (?) was touted as an homage to “Mildred P. Flaggerty,” inventor of the bedpan. Problem is, the bedpan has been around for centuries and there seems to be no evidence of one “Mildred P. Flaggerty,” who contributed in any way to “inventing” or designing anything.
Bedpan Fountain is located in a small, triangularly shaped grassy area at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Griffith Park Boulevard in Silver Lake, Californa, one of the many suburbs of Los Angeles. From a distance is looks like just another fountain. But, get closer and you see that the fountain is made up of several concrete “bedpans” that pour water into each other.
At the time of my visit the fountain appeared to have been recently painted in the Los Angeles Laker team colors of purple and gold.
All the photos in this post were taken 10 – 15 years ago. In researching this current blog entry, it is reported that the fountain is overgrown with vegetation and not recognizable as what it once was. Since I do not use any photographs other than my own on my posts, you can visit this link to find out more and see the current condition of the location. The link is an article dated, April 1, 2022.
I guess I was lucky to see it in it’s original state. It’s a shame to see it the way it appears currently.
Researching my old sites makes me want to get out and visit others before they go the way of Bedpan Fountain!
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Thanks again!
Joe
Definitely odd and unusual; and sad it is not as it was…
Love it! who woukd use a pan that size??
Keep the coming, thanks Joe 😊