Zippers can be many things, but I bet you wouldn't normally describe them as "whimsy." But that's exactly what they are, thanks to Japanese street artist Jun Kitagawa. He has created a standout public installation in cities around Japan that gives passersby more than just something pretty to stop and take in.

Kitagawa is no stranger to offbeat public displays of art. His inaugural installment came to be after finding himself with a bunch of unwanted T-shirts and living in a town with numerous nude statues. Obviously the best (and only, in my opinion) use for those T-shirts were for covering the statues. And in an act that rides a perfectly crooked (and humorous) line between vandalism and public service, a street artist was born.

His zippers are found painted on walls and sculpted to interact with natural resources. The zippers' intent? To give viewers a more intimate look into the world we interact with every day through a familiar object.

Hat tip to Spoon & Tamago