Splash! New London exhibition dives into a century of swimming

LONDON – From an Olympic gold medal to Hollywood actress Pamela Anderson’s red bathing suit from drama series Baywatch (1989 to 2001), a new exhibition dedicated to all things swimming opened at London’s Design Museum on March 28 and runs till Aug 17.

Splash! A Century Of Swimming And Style features more than 200 items that look at people’s love of water since the 1920s, be it at the lido, the pool or in nature.

Ms Amber Butchart, guest curator of the exhibition, said at a press preview on March 26: “The show explores the last century of swimming through the lens of design. We begin in the pool, we move into the lido, and then we end in nature, and each of those sections allows us to explore different themes, whether it’s materials and making, evolution of swimwear as a fashion object, or swimming in outdoor spaces and the architecture that allows access for that.”

A variety of colourful swimwear from various decades takes centre stage, including a 1950s bikini and a selection of 1980s Speedo briefs alongside an edition of the famed one-piece Anderson wore to play lifeguard C.J. Parker in Baywatch in the 1990s.

Items date from a 1920s example of rental swimwear to more contemporary and adaptive designs.

Also on show are various items belonging to Olympians, including the first Olympic solo swimming gold medal won by a British woman as well as British diver Tom Daley’s Team GB trunks. REUTERS