Friday Eye Candy: Social Pool in the Middle of Mojave Desert

Alfredo Barsuglia's latest work, "Social Pool," is located in an undisclosed location in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Visitors only receive keys and GPS coordinates as their directions on the day of their reservation.

1 minute read

August 1, 2014, 7:00 AM PDT

By Maayan Dembo @DJ_Mayjahn

Austrian artist Alfredo Barsuglia built an eleven-by-five-feet pool, and placed it in an undisclosed location in the Mojave Desert, only accessible through GPS coordinates and a key provided by the MAK Center of Art and Architecture in West Hollywood. Called Social Pool, the pool seats two people and features an automatic, solar-panel operated filter and chlorine system.

A Panorama of Social Pool — A panorama of Social Pool in its beautiful surroundings; Image Courtesy of Alfredo Barsuglia.

According to Stephanie Weber, Assistant Curator at the MoMA, Barsuglia's work reminds us of Land-Art installations throughout the American West landscapes from the 1970s, commenting in part on the rampant destruction of our ecological systems. Barsuglia's piece also speaks to our consumption and entertainment driven lifestyle, where a journey of 2.5 hours by car via GPS assistance to get to a random pool is not viewed as an inconvenience, but rather a worthwhile and relaxing pursuit.

At the Pre-opening of Social Pool — People enjoying Social Pool before the opening; Image Courtesy of Alfredo Barsuglia.

The pool opened for the public on April 1st, and will be available until September 30th. Reservations are now completely full, but in case one opens up, RSVP here.

FULL STORY: Does the Mojave desert need an artist-built swimming pool? Maybe

Friday, June 27, 2014 in Los Angeles Times

Architecture Environment Landscape Architecture California Social Pool Alfredo Barsuglia Mojave Desert MAK Center of Art and Architecture Public Art View More

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Get 25% Off Your Subscription

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.