The Design Museum in London has announced a new exhibition set to launch in March 2025, titled Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style. The exhibition will feature an array of iconic items, including Pamela Anderson’s striking red bathing suit from the television series Baywatch, alongside the historic achievement represented by the first Olympic solo swimming gold medal won by a British woman. More interestingly, on display will be a variety of vibrant men’s Speedos from the 1980s, showcasing the evolution of swimwear over the decades.
Tickets for this highly anticipated exhibition are now available. Splash! seeks to celebrate humanity’s deep-seated connection to water, tracing the journey of swimming-related design and culture over the past century. It will highlight key milestones, such as Britain’s lido boom in the early 20th century and the recent rise of the popular Mermaidcore aesthetic within social media culture.
Among the noteworthy items on display are the infamous LZR Racer swimsuit, recognised for its controversial design that pushed the limits of technical performance. Attendees will also see one of the earliest known bikinis, alongside a meticulously crafted architectural model of the Zaha Hadid-designed London 2012 Aquatics Centre.
The exhibition aims to showcase over 200 items from approximately 50 contributors across Europe, providing a comprehensive look at the diverse narratives surrounding swimming from social, cultural, technological, and environmental perspectives.
Organised into three core sections, the exhibition will focus on the different realms of swimming: the pool, the lido, and nature. It will investigate the significant impact of design on our relationship with water, both in the aquatic environment and on land. Visitors can expect to explore a wide array of themes, from the advancement of sports performance apparel to the intersection of fashion and architecture within swimming.
The narrative will begin in the 1920s, a pivotal moment when swimwear began to be marketed primarily for swimming rather than mere bathing, coinciding with the surge in popularity of beach holidays. The exhibition will continue to reflect on swimming's evolving significance in contemporary life, including its influence on concepts of body autonomy and agency, as well as highlighting the pressing environmental challenges associated with water use today.
Tickets from designmuseum.org