Swimmers now have the opportunity to get back to nature, in the urban setting of London’s King’s Cross, in the UK’s first ever public swimming pond, opened to visitors from 22 May as part of an innovative experiential art project created by Ooze Architects and artist Marjetica Potr?.
The installation piece entitled ‘Of Soil and Water’: King’s Cross Pond Club is a natural, chemical-free bathing pond open to swimmers and visitors at the King’s Cross site.
Measuring approximately 10m wide by 40m long, the central swimming pond is purified through a natural closed-loop process, using wetland and submerged water plants to filter and sustain clean and clear water. The pond, which is due to be in place for up to two years, is surrounded by both hard and soft landscaping, including pioneer plants, wild flowers grasses, and bushes so that the environment evolves as the seasons change. The site, engineered and built by Europe’s leading natural pool designers BIOTOP and its UK partner, Kingcombe Aquacare Ltd, will operate on a limited daily ticket basis and will be run by experienced sport and leisure management charity Fusion Lifestyle.
Artist Marjetica Potr said of the work:
“We have to re-think how we live with the city and with nature. Here, we are collaborating with nature and the artwork encourages the viewer to participate in that experience. Water is a source of life but it is also a metaphor for regeneration. We want to understand our influence upon nature but also our balance with nature.”
‘Of Soil and Water’: King’s Cross Pond Club is located in Lewis Cubitt Park and Square; its aim is to provide visitors and people living in the area with a beautiful and relaxing vantage point from where they can swim and enjoy a piece of nature in an urban location.
The pond will be open Monday-Friday from 6am-dusk, and Saturday-Sunday from 8am-dusk; booking enquiries can be made by visiting www.kingscrosspond.club.
