Upon a Pond

A sculpture consisting of clusters of colourful bubbles, with mist coming out of giant, bendy straws welcomes visitors to Albany Stadium Pool. Children can climb the structures and jump up to reach the puffing water vapour.

This large-scale interactive artwork by Seung Yul Oh was designed to capture a sense of fun and play. In creating Upon a Pond, Oh was inspired by the idea of water as ‘always changing’, as well as our interactions with water – such as bubbles rising up to its surface and a swimmer’s inhalation and exhalation of breath. Bubbles became an important creative element for the artist – the sculptural bubbles, which vary in size, come out one end of the oversized bendy white straws, while high-pressure water puffs from the other.

This works brings a sense of surprise and playfulness to the public space outside the pool. As well as Upon a Pond, Oh created Drop a Loop, a series of cloud-shaped light boxes that hang like colourful droplets at the pool entrance. Both artworks showcase water in different states and celebrate the fun associated with a trip to the pool.