All aboard pink Bristol bus for a journey through kitsch art

From its stop outside Clifton's oldest gallery, passers-by have been queuing to board.

But instead of a tour of the city, the pink double-decker bus takes passengers on a journey of the past, through its stash of collected kitsch.

The bus, which is the largest exhibit ever seen at the Royal West of England Academy's Autumn Exhibition, is a cavern of recycled bric-a-brac ranging from Phil Collins records and bicycle parts, to tea cups and lampshades.

It is the work of artists Caroline Fletcher, 51, and Victoria Brook, 24, who met while studying fine art – and has already been used as a venue for comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Ms Brook said: "We started working together for our degree course and became very interested in how people hoard things and the way their possessions are piled up. We started with smaller vehicles; we tried a burnt out Ford Fiesta first and then a camper van and then we got the bus."

The contents of the bus are all recycled and even the vehicle itself was found in a farmyard in Reading and saved from the scrapheap.

Ms Brook added: "It took us about six months to get everything to go inside. We took things that charity shops couldn't sell, things from skips and stuff people were throwing out.

It then took about another eight months to put it all together. We didn't go out searching for specific things, it just all came together.

"Inside we've carved out environments which include a stage, a double bed and a fireplace complete with mantelpiece clock. There's also a love corner with Mills and Boon wallpaper and a sprouting tree. Every surface is covered with society's abandoned tat which we have lovingly constructed into a shrine of treasures."

Following on from the success of Crimes of Passion, an exhibition where artists painted graffiti directly on to the walls of the 150-year-old building, the bus is one of a number of ways the RWA is seeking to change people's impression of the gallery.

Fiona Davies, education and marketing manager at the RWA, said: "I think some people find galleries intimidating and this is just one of the ways we are trying to encourage more people to experience art. We've had lots of people passing and coming on board to see what it is about. There is so much to see aboard the pink bus; it's unlike anything ever seen in Bristol before. It's a really fun place to visit.

"We're also looking at the possibility of scheduling performances, music and events on the bus."

The bus will be stationed on the RWA's forecourt, Queens Road, for the duration of its Autumn Exhibition.

Tickets to visit the Autumn Exhibition cost £4 for adults, £2.50 for concessions and under 16s are free of charge. A visit to the pink bus is included in this price; alternatively visitors can just view the bus at a cost of 50p – under 16s free.