Clip Art

Kiosks engender a fundamental ad hocness.  They start and end the day collapsed into neat boxes and explode into action and into business.  They are remade each morning; the displays are refashioned each day.

Shopkeepers use a number of strategies to reconfigure their kiosks quickly and employ a number of devices to do the job.  Here, I want to draw attention to the extraordinary utility and flexibility of clips and clamps.

Clamps are used to hold the kiosk together quite literally, and also to attach signs, secure awnings, keep things from blowing away, and create mounts for the display of goods.  Beyond their clamping function, the holes at the clamp ends, and their rigid V-shape, allow them to hang things and be hung themselves.

Clamps are central to keeping kiosks but are surprisingly invisible parts of the display, especially considering their industrial bulkiness and their surface roughness.  How many clamps can you identify below?

At a micro scale, I love how these bull clips are used to fasten the Hot Soup sign while also bracing two packages of Polo mints.  Doing so not only provides the perfect cradle for the cylinders, but also prevents the packs of gum behind from slipping forward.  I also appreciate how only two clips are positioned outside the sign to ensure maximum visibility. 



Here, I spotted twelve.