Faux Flaggers of Abu Dhabi

Last summer we started noticing fake traffic flaggers around town. They look a lot like scarecrows, but they are placed at the beginning of road work to warn drivers to slow down. They usually include a worker’s jumpsuit, a reflective vest, a hardhat, and a flag, but creativity shows in their faces and accessories. I assume it’s the workers themselves who put the flaggers together.

The first one I snapped last June had a beard and mustache drawn on to fabric and sunglasses; one had a yellow smiley face from a child’s toy, a light affixed to one hand and a glowing stick to the other; one had more distinct features with soulful eyes and large ears painted onto yellow plywood(?); and another had a less attractive face made of metal, but sported a jaunty bowtie.

Robert thought it could be considered a type of folk art. So, I’m trying to photograph them in all their variety--especially challenging since we usual see them from a moving vehicle--and have started a set on Flickr.