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What to call those weird stairs that lead nowhere on the side of your building

I love this strange, meandering little video from 2009 about pieces of the urban landscape that appear to serve absolutely no function whatsoever. Artist Akasegawa Genpei decided to do an art project devoted them. He dubs these items "Thomassons," and it's worth watching his video to find out why.

He's also published an art book devoted to pictures of Thomassons.

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