Art at Carkeek: Buddhist teachings? Or teenage hangout?

"Rootbound: Heaven & Earth IV," the fourth annual outdoor-sculpture show in Carkeek Park curated by the Center on Contemporary Art, is uneven in the extreme. But it does feature one piece that clearly works, although perhaps not exactly as intended.

It's Alan Fulle's "Four Noble Truths," a fancifully built wooden "skyscraper" that supposedly reflects "the primary teachings of Buddhist wisdom" (from the artist's statement). On a sunny day last week, it was functioning as the perfect teenage hangout. Whether the kids inside it were pondering Buddhism is difficult to say. But they looked as if there were nowhere else they'd rather be.

Details on the whole show, which runs through Oct. 31, can be found at www.heavenandearthexhibition.org.

Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times arts writer