Those blue metal thingies recently affixed to the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall? Turns out they're art. The "Stair Squares," as they're called, were created by a Cleveland artist as a project that "not only crosses the boundaries of design and art, but raises questions concerning the respective function of aesthetics as an organizing principle within public spaces," according to the Cleveland Institute of Art. "Okay," replies the blog McBrooklyn. "And they're handy when you eat lunch, too." Seems that way.

Blue Things at Brooklyn Borough Hall [McBrooklyn]