Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Japanese "urban camouflage"



Sharp-eyed viewers will notice a pair of feet sticking out from bottom of the vending machine at far right. The Times has an article on a rather bizarre project: designer Aya Tsukioka generates "urban camouflage; clothing designs that turn people and their possessions into vending machines, fire hydrants and manhole covers. Why? To thwart would-be stalkers.

The "ninja-inspired" gear seems both ridiculous and impossibly naive, but:

"Japanese society won't just laugh, so inventors are not afraid to try new things," said Takumi Hirai, chairman of Japan's largest association of individual inventors, the 10,000-member Hatsumeigakkai.

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