A traditional double-decker bus in London has received an athletic makeover ahead of the Olympic Games.
Czech artist David Cerny has re-modelled the bus into a mechanical structure, which depicts the shape of an athlete doing a push up. The giant sculpture will celebrate the opening of the Games on 27 July, and has been installed outside the Czech Olympics headquarters in Islington.
To create the sculpture, Cerny bought the bus – made in 1957- from its previous owner in the Netherlands. He then attached two large arms, along with an electrical engine and suspension system.
The sculpture, called “London Boosted”, moves up and down in a push-up motion, and is accompanied by video projections and voice overs to make it feel more alive.
“There is one common exercise for every sportsman in the world, and that is push-ups,” Cerny told Reuters.
“It is training for sport activities but at the same time it is also punishment in armies and prisons. So the push-ups are a very universal physical activity…It is in a way very ironic.”
Cerny’s other famous works have proved controversial in the past – his 2009 artwork, “Entropa”, portrayed the EU nations in an unflattering way, sparking criticism and spurring protests from a number of EU countries who argued the piece was disrespectful.
His latest rendering, however, is unlikely to cause controversy.
“We will see how long the athlete can work out for,” Cerny said. “Let’s hope he will exercise for the full three weeks. He will be the biggest sportsman there.”
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