Are untied laces stylish, entertaining, annoying, ... ?

Okay. If that particular cord material were used as shoe laces, those laces would be perpetually untied to the surface characteristics. Therefore we may conclude that of the many uses such a cord could be put to, shoelaces is not one of them.

Perhaps howeve mountain climbers who want to pay out their ropes and not have them stick in rings or buckles might want such a slippery surface?

Was the cord selected from a store's many choices or simply picked up from what was available from neighborhood clotheslines or the like?

The paintbrush handle was selected from what was immediately availalble, but he brought the cord with him. Did he suddenly find that he needed or wanted the handle or did he intend to obtain some implement from within the home? The cord's slipperyness may well be a mere coincidence but it could also mean selectivity, care and precision.