Artist Michael Pederson Brightens Up City Streets With Playful Typography And Comical Signs

How many times do you walk or commute along the same journey to work and not really take any notice of the urban landscape that surrounds you? We're all guilty of it, but one artist is using our jaded familiarity to plant surprises among the street objects and furniture that we pass everyday.

Sydney-based artist Michael Pederson uses street signs and other items that populate a typical city, and repurposes them into a form of art intervention.

So for instance, instead of of just guiding people in what side to walk on pedestrian signs highlight the anxiety and alienation of living in the modern world. Or signs highlighting where children might be crossing are taken to levels of absurdity as the signs themselves actually cross the road.

"I think we travel through urban space without really seeing it most of the time," Pederson told CityLab. "I like the idea of interfering with the overly familiar background blur ... Ideally with something a passerby might see out of the corner of an eye."

You can check out some of Pederson's work below and head to his website for more.