Worm-Like Sculpture Attaches Itself to Portuguese Bus Stop
This unusual bus stop looks a bit like it has a parasitic growth protruding from its side. It is, in fact, an urban intervention by Portuguese firm Like Architects.
The project is called Bus Stop Symbiosis,and symbiosis is a better word than parasitic to describe the relationship between the existing structure and the added undulating one.
In a symbiotic relationship, it is possible for both organisms to benefit. The vaguely worm-like red wood fiber/resin addition benefits by entertaining passers-by and giving them a place to sit.
The bus stop benefits because the urban art installation provides them with an interesting object to study while they wait for the bus – most of them, no doubt, wondering what this weird curvy thing might be.
Installed as a temporary installation in an historic district of Largo dos Lóios, Oporto, Portugal, the unusual art object was only present for a short time in 2010.
Contrasting so starkly with its surroundings, the shape and color of the bright red sculpture was a statement about the historic world melding with the modern world.
A playful and interactive project, the Bus Stop Symbiosis drew attention to the existing structure while adding a fun but somewhat puzzling new element to the bus stop and the entire street.