This fluid, abstract composition features reflective, liquid-like shapes suspended in deep blue space. The image conjures up an imagined underwater environment, with hints of movement and texture that evoke memories of long-forgotten swimming pools. Rather than depicting a literal space, the unstable, continuously shifting forms appear as if shaped by memory, perception and reinterpretation. Created through observation, reconstruction, and reimagination, the image reflects the workshop's approach to space. Sitting between documentation and fiction, it visualises a collective attempt to see the building differently - not as it is now, but as it once was.

Almost Here: The Pool That Never Existed

Homegrown Festival 2026

Information

Times: 1pm, 3pm


Tickets: Pay What You Can (Recommended Price £5)*

*all orders subject to a transaction fee of £2

Running Time: 3 hours


Age Recommendation

Friday 29 May – 18+ (Adult Session)
Saturday 30 May – 13-18 (Young People Session)


This workshop takes place in person in our Recreation Room

In 1967, Battersea Town Hall almost became a swimming pool. Instead, it was saved by the local community and transformed into Battersea Arts Centre. Almost Here: The Pool That Never Existed invites you to step inside BAC and look again.

In this interactive workshop designed around shared imagination and alternative futures, you will explore our building and see if you can discover traces of a swimming pool hidden in plain sight. Working together, participants will turn their observations into images and stories, building a shared visual world using simple digital tools.

The session culminates in a live video mixing performance, where each participant contributes to a continuous flow of images and decisions.

No experience is needed. Just curiosity and a willingness to see the world differently.

Biographies

Kiryung Arrddon Nam

Arrddon is an artist and creative technologist working between London and Seoul. He designs interactive systems for collective experience, focusing on how people imagine, communicate, and create together. His work develops participatory environments where individual experiences are transformed into shared structures through interaction, generative AI, and system design. He also approaches creative learning as a practice, designing processes for collaborative learning and creation.

Arrddon studied Arts Management at Korea National University of Arts and led the artist collective Rigidbody, developing collaborative projects and participatory workshops. He later taught as an Adjunct Professor, focusing on art and technology convergence and creative learning environments. He is currently pursuing an MA in Information Experience Design at the Royal College of Art in London and leads research at the Center for Creative Intelligence Design (CCID) in Seoul, exploring generative AI and interaction through system-based experimentation.

Petter Schölander

Petter Schölander is a multidisciplinary artist based in London. From creating campaigns and arena-scale live visuals for clients ranging from Adidas to Spice Girls, he now focuses on his research-through-practice project titled Samoota. Samoota is influenced by the worldviews of Petter’s indigenous Sámi heritage, and through it he creates interactive experiences using for example storytelling, modular design, and solar-powered installations. Samoota is also an open platform for learning and exploring, with workshops at institutions such as University of the Arts, London and the V&A Museum.

 

Suyeon Na

Suyeon Na is a cultural producer and arts administrator working between Seoul and London, currently working with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures. Her practice focuses on participatory programmes and collaborative formats that bring together audiences, artists, and institutions.
 
She holds a BA in Arts Management from Korea National University of Arts and an MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths, University of London. She is interested in how collective imagination can shape shared experiences and create accessible encounters with contemporary culture, with a particular belief in the transformative potential of the arts, especially for children and young people.

Credits

Lead Artist and Director: Kiryung Arrddon Nam
Assistant Facilitator and Sound Design: Petter Schölander
Producer: Suyeon Na

Next Gen Producers is part of BAC’s Next Gen creative engagement programmes for ages 11-29, generously supported by Arts Council England and Apple, with additional support from Craig Mawdsley, The Mackintosh Foundation, The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, and The Idlewild Trust.

Access

PRE EVENT INFORMATION

This event takes place in person in our Recreation Room. This space is on the first floor, with step-free access via a lift.

If you have booked a ticket you will receive an email from us before your performance detailing important information about your visit.

PERSONAL ASSISTANT/COMPANION TICKETS

If you require the assistance of a friend or helper to attend, we can make a free ticket available for your companion. You can book access companion tickets online or contact the Box Office to book by emailing boxoffice@bac.org.uk.

To book a free access companion online:

  • log in to your account here
  • go to ‘Other preferences’ and tick ‘I require a personal assistant/companion’.
  • Choose the performance, date and seats you would like and if you add at least 2 tickets to your basket, then one of these will automatically become free.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

This event will be Relaxed. We invite you to make yourself comfortable and move around if you need to and if you need to leave the event at any point you will be allowed to return to the space when you feel ready.

VISIT OUR ACCESS PAGE

We want our shows to be as accessible to as many people as possible.

We offer tickets to most shows on a Pay What You Can basis throughout the year.

Tickets for Homegrown Festival performances in 2026 start at £3, and we have recommended pricing to help you choose a price that works for you.

We know that ticket price is a huge barrier for some. If you can afford to pay the recommended price or more, choosing to do so supports those that can’t. It makes it possible for us to continue to offer Pay What You Can and welcome those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend.

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