Photo: Terrence Sanchez, New York, NY

Friendly, or downright creepy? Designer Joseph King has unleashed a fleet of vinyl sticker hands for willing dissenters to paste throughout their cities, framing everything ranging from subway gates, doors, and street signs to swing sets, graffiti, and even Johnny Cash’s star on Hollywood Boulevard. King explains the project as “commentary on a popular style of poster presentation in contemporary design and the implicit credibility it seems to suggest.” More after the jump.

Photo: Javas Lehn, New York, NY

King is referring to a design phenomenon that Hewlett-Packard took up with fervor in a series of advertisements, each showing the headless body of a celebrity, wildly gesticulating how essential an HP product is to his or her life (apparently, Jay-Z looks at Frank Gehry’s construction documents on his device). King’s framing vinyl sticker hands present objects on the street to passersby with the same impression of sincerity. But the disembodied hands appear slightly more dubious in their assorted urban contexts, almost like strangers with candy.

Photo: Hans Krebs, Brothel, WA

Photo: Lauren Furgason, Tavira, Portugal

Photo: Jono Stark, Portland, OR

Photo: Luke Guidici, Hollywood, CA

by Kelly Chan

posted in Money Shot

tagged Art, cities, city, design, graphic design, Joseph Kingg, street art

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