Waiting for the BUS in Baltimore, USA

Instead of watching the clock and the road for your bus, you can enjoy your wait at this bus-stop that doubles as an urban sculpture. BUS is a permanent art installation in Baltimore, USA. It’s primary function is a bus-stop but it also provides a cheery backdrop to its city environs.



The Spanish art collective mmmm... is back in the US with their second work. BUS is, as you may have realised from the name a bus-stop, in Baltimore. It’s actually a concept sculpture made from the three letters B-U-S. 





These giant letters are made from the classic urban furniture materials of wooden planks and steel structure. Each of the letters can be used differently by people waiting for their bus: the B provides shelter from the rain, you can sit on the U and you can even lie down on the S. It’s almost like a playground, where commuters can interact and entertain themselves while they’re waiting for their bus.





This permanent public art project is supported by Creative Alliance, a local initiative set up to promote area artists and which reopened The Patterson as a multipurpose arts centre (you get a glimpse of this behind BUS), the Southeast Community Development Corporation private-public partnership in conjunction with the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC), and SPAIN arts & culture. The creation by Spanish art collective mmmm..., known for its approach that favours interaction between citizens and their city, is part of TRANSIT – creative placemaking with Europe in Baltimore, an initiative of European cultural institutes aimed at bringing together local and European artists. 



Project: mmmm... http://www.mmmm.tv/ with special thanks to Kyle Miller and Tim Scofield
Location: Baltimore, USA
Year: 2014
Photography: Courtesy of mmmm...