Taking the plunge: River potential on show at London Design Festival

At least, that is the premise of Urban Plunge, an exhibition on river usage to be held at the Roca London Gallery during the London Design Festival.

The exhibition is curated by Jane Withers, design consultant and co-founder of Wonderwater, whose work explores both existing schemes and future visions for swimming in the heart of our cities.

Urban Plunge will show a number of drawings, models and photographs that document five key projects, selected by Withers to illustrate their role in changing river usage.

The showcase will include two UK schemes, one for a set of permanent London river bathing stations, and another for a temporary pool on the King’s Cross development site. Both will use river water that is purified through a natural process using wetland plants.

‘The possibility to change city rivers from undervalued thoroughfares to places where we can swim offers amazing opportunities for new urban experiences and wellbeing,’ says Withers.

Look out for LS:N Global’s on-the-ground coverage of London Design Festival, which takes place on 13–21 September, in our Seed and Shows sections.