Quirky Crosswalks Take Over London

As part of the London Design Festival in late September, a trio of artists set out to reimagine the crosswalk. Between August and November, three whimsical designs, sponsored by the local business district, will be installed to replace the standard black-and-white zebra striping that signals a safe space for pedestrian crossings. These pieces of pavement art are all located along Southwark Street in London’s Bankside neighborhood, an area south of the Thames River that’s no stranger to unexpected urban art (it previously played host to a multi-story house made of melting wax). 

The French art collective EXYZT have created a piece called “Crossing Stories” (above), a combination of street furniture and patterns placed along the roadway. Signs on the ground draw people along through the streetside story.

Photographer Morgan Silk, whose project is still in progress, will create a photographic optical illusion.

Adam Frank, a New York artist, installed “Performer,” a piece that will give you more validation than crossing the street ever has before. It consists of a spotlight trained upon the ground that, when you walk through it, triggers a round of applause. Go ahead, take a bow.

If that’s not fun enough, maybe try adding a fist-bump to your crossing routine?

[h/t: Curbed]