benedetto bufalino makes a mobile phone…literally

for several years, lyon-based artist benedetto bufalino has been enriching public space with an enchanting and entertaining appeal, turning ordinary objects and ideas on their heads. this time, bufalino has created a mobile phone — but not the type you hold in your hand, the kind you ride inside. the artist’s very literal interpretation of a mobile phone sees a telephone booth turned into a portable vehicle that can be surprisingly stood on and ridden in the street. 

benedetto bufalino has been enriching public space with an enchanting and entertaining appeal

in a short video, bufalino makes a telephone call in a booth which — equipped with wheels — haphazardly drives along the road. playfully changing lanes and even getting stuck in traffic, the glass-clad cabin offers a humorous window into the pre-cell phone world, when those wishing to contact someone from the street would have to seek out a booth for their call — a now nostalgic idea. the project has been presented as part of l’afiac curated by patrick tarres, and isn’t the first time bufalino has experimented with the idea of a phone booth. previously, the artist turned the urban objects into exotic aquariums. 

the artist has created a mobile phone — but not the type you hold in your hand, the kind you ride inside 

the urban object playfully changes lanes, follows a roundabout, and even gets stuck in a bit of traffic

the glass-clad cabin offers a humorous window into the pre-cell phone world — a nostalgic glimpse at the past 

bufalino makes a telephone call in a booth while it drives around the city