Walk on the Wild Side: 13 Crosswalk Illusions & Interventions

Tree Sprouts Painted Leaves as Pedestrians Cross
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Step onto a giant ink pad and then walk across an intersection in China to imprint green ‘leaves’ onto bare-branch tree silhouettes laid down by DDB China and the China Environmental Protection Foundation. Placed at 132 crosswalks in 15 cities, the installation aims to promote the environmental and health benefits of walking. Hope you don’t mind you shoes being covered in green paint!

Crosswalk Pong
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Play pong with another pedestrian waiting to cross the same street from the other side with this fun installation in Germany. Branded ‘ActiWait’, the installation “offers pedestrians the possibility to convert boring waiting times into positive experiences. Through a touch screen which is installed in the upper shell of the button, people can interact with each other across the street.”

Pop-Up Crosswalk to the Arc de Triomphe
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The traffic circle surrounding one of Paris’ most famous monuments is notoriously difficult to cross, and authorities advise visitors to take a tunnel instead. But theater group X/TNT wanted to make the Arc de Triomphe more accessible – at least temporarily – by adding a crosswalk to La Place de L’Etoile. The guerrilla crosswalk performance art project was nicknamed ‘The Storming of the Etoile.’

Fist-Bump Crosswalk
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You’ll have to give a casual greeting to a giant yellow fist in order to cross certain intersections in Los Angeles thanks to ‘Walkbump’, a DIY modification that adds some fun to the city with a little silicone and some glue.