The Social Pool sits in the middle of the Mojave desert in California, USA. At 11×5 ft wide, the minimalist style swimming pool is open for anyone to use. But finding it won’t be easy. In order to do so, you would have to recover the GPS coordinates of the unassuming pool and the key that unlocks it from the MAK Centre for Art and Architecture in Los Angeles where creator Alfredo Barsuglia has his residency. Additionally, you only have it for a maximum of 24 hours. No calling or reservations allowed, “if the key is there, then you go.”

The installation ‘is about the effort people make to reach a luxury good’. It is a commentary on the excess and decadence of our generation. The choice to use a pool lies with its symbolic meaning as a marker of wealth. Barsuglia says “I’m interested in the way that these are often integrated into the architecture of a house. And, often, people will have a pool, but they don’t even get into it. They just like to show that they have it. It shows they don’t have to think about water.” In a statement from MAK Centre, Social Pool is a complex replica of the contradictions and ideology of contemporary society, where remoteness from others and quietude are luxuries for the ever-communicating city-dweller. (via The Los Angeles Times)