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All the United States California Topanga Great Wall of Topanga

Great Wall of Topanga

You don't want to get caught in this trap--or do you?

Topanga, California

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Elise
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An enormously fanciful oversized rat trap is a great diversion for the adventurous, especially if it dangles from a steep incline which meets an unpredictably twisty canyon road.

It is accompanied by a giant cockroach sculpture and an installation of sundry upcycled jetsam – leg crutches, a surf board, computer parts, baby dolls, a bike wheel, a broom: everything but, nay, including an actual kitchen sink. Much of the rubbish is assembled to spell the words "Got Art?" and "Toys Wuz Us" while odds and ends create a peace sign, ampersand, and heart icon over a mural background.

It more closely resembles a colorful segment of the Berlin Wall than the monochromatic Chinese wonder, but the spirit of the arts is nonetheless felt quite strikingly when the interested explorer takes a moment off the road to approach on foot. It is the creation of Topanga resident Rick Denman, whose deck the wall supports. It started as an outgrowth of his objection to a Banksy (or Banksy wannabe?) stencil placed on the cinder blocks at street level. Denman's humorous response was the rat trap with a spray can as bait for the world-famous tag artist whose work is often recognized by its rat imagery.

He plans to expand the wall to include an installation called "Mt. Rush Hour," or "Mt. Rush No More," a playful name inspired by the afternoon traffic crunch that plagues the mountainous pass.

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Outsider Art Monuments

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Located near the intersection of N. Topanga Canyon Rd. and Hillside Dr.

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Elise

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June 3, 2013

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Great Wall of Topanga
1136 N. Topanga Canyon Road
Topanga, California, 90290
United States
34.106169, -118.59173
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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Topanga

Topanga

California

Places 4
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Theatricum Botanicum

Topanga, California

miles away

Hidden Treasures

Topanga, California

miles away

Parkman Murals & Mosaics

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Topanga

Topanga

California

Places 4
Stories 1

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