Of Soil and Water: King's Cross Pond Club
Natural bathing pond in the midst of urban regeneration

‘Of Soil and Water: The King’s Cross Pond Club’ was a public art project, commissioned by King’s Cross Central Partnership as part of the ‘Relay Art Program’. Occupying a temporary site in the midst of the King’s Cross construction site in London, it created a micro-ecological environment with a natural swimming pond at its centre.

The pond is free of chemicals – the water is purified by natural processes using plants, nutrient mineralisation and a set of filters to supplement natural filtration. Once cleaned, the water loops back in to the pond to complete the water cycle. The daily number of bathers is restricted by the amount of water the system is able to clean. Thus, the use of the pond remains in balance with what nature can absorb and regenerate. The soil zones around the pond range from an area of meagre soil and pioneer plants, to a meadow area of rich soil with lush grass and wild flowers. As they grow, the plants clean and enrich the soil.

The enclosed site presents the natural environment in miniature, a landscape in motion, a theatre of ecological cycles: the water cycle, plant cycle and soil cycle. It is a mise en scène of the processes that occur between humans, water, soil and plants. Here, the joy of swimming combines with awareness of our responsibility toward the environment. The elevated pond becomes a stage where the swimmers perform the balancing act of coexisting with nature. From this stage, they can watch the evolution of the surrounding neighbourhood and the ever-changing city, where new possibilities and new futures are being born.

Location

Kings Cross, London, UK

Area

2200 m2

Year

2015-2016

Project by

OOZE (Eva Pfannes & Sylvain Hartenberg) and Marjetica Potrč

Curator

Stephanie Delcroix & Michael Pinsky, RELAY arts programme

Commissioner

King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership

Collaborators

Natural Pool Consultants: BIOTOP; Austria; BD Landscape; Planting: Stefanie Strauss, Rita Breker-Kremer; Paula Martinez (Ooze)

Status

Realised

Recent news

Apr '22 In search of the pluriverse at the Het Nieuw Instituut - Of Soil and water / The King's Cross Pond Club

Jan '22 Winner of International Award for Public Art (IAPA) - Eurasia

Sep '20 Between Walls and Water, Canberra

Dec '17 Winner Landscape Institute Award for King's Cross Pond Club

Oct '17 Public presentation and debate about outdoor swimming in Brussels

Publications

May '19 Dwell

Jan '19 a+t

Oct '16 The Guardian

Jan '16 Monocle

Jun '15 Blueprint

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King's Cross Pond Club - Teaser

The juxtoposition of the pond with the urban regeneration around it was central to the project (© Ooze)

As well as the flourishing ecology of the site, the success of the project could be found in its place making and community building qualities. The Pond became enormously popular during it's time, creating a new, unique kind of destination for King's Cross and forming a strong community who petitioned hard to keep it open after its scheduled closure in October 2016 - even coordinating a 'Splash Mob' to highlight their campaign to keep the pond open.

"Over its short life, the pond has grown in popularity and has served more than 20,000 swimmers since it opened in May of last year. It serves the local community as a different and offbeat recreational facility, and attracts curious tourists. In addition, it is loved by outdoor and “wild” swimmers, who travel from far and wide to experience swimming in a naturally filtered fresh-water pool situated in a built-up area." (The Guardian, 7.10.16)

The SplashMob was formed of members of the community who loved what the pond had brought to King's Cross and their lives (© SplashMob)

"It means different things to different people, but has become so much more than art: in turns a tourist attraction; a solace; a way of coping with life; a way of experiencing nature at close quarters; an antidote to the grey and drab; a slowing down of the hurried pace of living in the city; an asset to its community; a short sharp shock in the middle of winter; a way of meeting new friends; a reason for being in the city. The pond has come to represent a wild yet tranquil haven, which seems to stand proud holding an ever-growing urban sprawl at bay." (The Guardian, 7.10.16)

Of Soil and Water: King's Cross Pond Club Natural bathing pond in the midst of urban regeneration

Of Soil and Water: King's Cross Pond Club
Natural bathing pond in the midst of urban regeneration