The Design Museum in London will celebrate swimming with a major exhibition, titled “Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style,” from March 28 to August 17. The event will feature more than 200 objects, exploring swimming’s evolution from a social, cultural, technological and environmental viewpoint. Items on display will include, for example, Pamela Anderson’s Baywatch swimsuit, a selection of men’s Speedo briefs from the 1980s, one of the earliest surviving examples of a bikini, and an architectural model of Zaha Hadid’s London 2012 Aquatics Center.
The exhibition will explore the story of swimming from the 1920s, when the popularity of beach holidays exploded, up to the present day. It will highlight swimming’s role in modern life, how it influences our ideas of body autonomy and agency, and its link to environmental issues.
“Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style” is guest-curated by Amber Jane Butchart, a British fashion historian and broadcaster who has appeared in various programs on the BBC, Channel 4 and other TV channels. The exhibition will comprise three sections that represent the three locations in which we swim: the pool, the lido and nature.
