French artist Benedetto Bufalino has spent years turning everyday vehicles like caravans and cars into art installations. His latest project involved transforming an old bus he found at a local junkyard into a swimming pool.
Named Le Bus Piscine (or the Bus Pool), the project is made from an old Tadeo bus the artist found in his local junkyard. Working with specialist engineers, he had it cleaned and emptied of its seats, flooring, wiring, and anything else that was in the way. Then he removed an entire side.
The bus was then fitted with a custom swimming pool shell, allowing it to hold water. The pool itself measures 30 ft (9.1 m) long and almost 8 ft (2.4 m) at its widest point. It can accommodate up to 10 swimmers at a time and a lifeguard station monitors them. There’s also a support team with a reception, cloakrooms, and shower nearby. A staircase is attached for access.
Le Bus Piscine is free to use and visitors willing to brave the chill in northern France at this time of year just need to turn up and fill in a form to enjoy 30 minutes of swimming. The installation has already visited three different locations as part of a local initiative named Odyssée Euralens and, at the time of writing, will soon be headed to the town of Lens, where it will be for about 10 days.
There’s something quite surreal about the way Bufalino transforms everyday objects into abstract works of art and his previous output is worth a look. It has included a concrete mixer turned into a mobile disco, a digger that became an aquarium, and a caravan that was also transformed into a swimming pool.
Artist transforms old bus into swimming pool [New Atlas]