The artwork, fittingly called ‘the bus pool’, has been open to locals since being revealed to the public in August.

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 removed the now upward-facing side, emptied the interiors and retrofitted the body of the vehicle to enable it to hold water.

The fully functioning pool is 2.3 metres wide by 9 metres long and 1.50 metres deep, with a stairway has placed at the back to provide access. 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.

Via Designboom | Images by Benedetto Bufalino