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Have you encountered the bike rack seat or urban hammock of ‘Rotten Apple’?

rotten apple bike seat
It’s fine until two people want to lock up their bikes. via Rotten Apple

Often times, walking through the city blends into the same day-to-day bullshit of just going through the motions of forcing yourself to put one foot in front of the other for entropy-related reasons that can’t even quite understand. Still, despite shuffling through what you consider to be a waking nightmare, you should keep your eyes open for things like a bike rack turned into a seat, a subway station sign turned into a chalk board or even a sudden tetherball game happening around a street sign. Those and more are part of “Rotten Apple,” an art project that’s been popping up around the city the past three years.

The anonymous artist told Co.Exist that he put the art projects together specifically because of seeing people walking around like there was nothing new to see anywhere and life was a cruel hoax. “Checked out” is how he described people walking around, as if there was anything to check in to.

Anyway, in order to get people to perk up, the man behind the project started making things like a hammock made of garbage bags strung up on a scaffolding, a hanging traffic cone planter, a chess board resting on a fire hydrant and other installations that can be described as “whimsical.” Which hey, maybe they are. Just remember though, that they can’t stop the shadow of disappointment and regrets that follow around everyone cursed with the human condition. Especially if you’re a Mets fan.

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