benedetto bufalino turns tipped over bus into public swimming pool

french artist benedetto bufalino has converted a tipped over bus to create a a public swimming pool. the artwork, fittingly called ‘the bus pool’, accommodates up to ten swimmers at any one time and has been open to locals since being revealed to the public in august.

images courtesy of the artist

the artwork repurposes an old tadao model from the transportation network in the area of artois in northern france. to transform the bus into a swimming pool, benedetto bufalino has removed the now upward-facing side, emptied the interiors and retrofitted the body of the car in order for it to hold the water. 

the fully functioning pool is 2.3 meters wide by 9 meters long and 1.50 meters deep, with a stairway has been placed at the back of the vehicle, allowing people to get into the pool. it offers water between 27 and 29 degrees and even has a lifeguard platform incorporated into the design. 

to create the artwork, the lyon-based artist collaborated with euralens, a local development agency in charge of the metropolitan area of artois. it forms part of ‘operation odyssey‘, a local program that aims to share with inhabitants and visitors the transformations of the mining basin. 

this is not the first time that bufalino has turned old vehicles into functional objects. in 2018, he similarly transformed a caravan to create a mobile swimming pool. the artist has also hacked an old ford mondeo into a fully functional wood-burning pizza oven, cut a fiat coupé in half to create a street food diner and transformed a street signpost into a working skateboard.

project info

artist: benedetto bufalino

title: the bus pool

location: artois, france