OPTICAL POOL is a sculptural bench commissioned for the new Houghton Regis Leisure Centre, celebrating the building and, in particular, its swimming pool.

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The artwork transforms the familiar graphic language of a swimming pool into a functional piece of public seating, combining robust natural stone with precisely cut inlaid details.

Optical Pool

The upper surface of the sculpture is completely flat, but a geometric pattern of polished black granite inlays creates the optical illusion of a pool extending down into the stone.

Perspective lines, repeated tiles and the contrasting granite surfaces generate the impression of depth, turning the bench into an apparently three-dimensional space when viewed from particular angles.

The illusion deliberately plays with the difference between the physical object and what the eye appears to see.

Swimming pool graphics

Details associated with swimming pools are incorporated around the sculpture, including lane numbers and graphic markings.

These elements are inlaid using coloured HI-MACS, introducing bright areas of colour against the silver and polished black granite and strengthening the reference to the visual language of leisure-centre pools.

The combination of numbering, tiled geometry and perspective gives the sculpture an immediate connection to its location while allowing it to remain an abstract artwork in its own right.

Material and fabrication

The sculpture is made from silver granite, with polished black granite used to form the principal perspective drawing across the upper surface.

Coloured HI-MACS elements are precisely inlaid into the stone to create the lane numbers and additional graphic details.

The use of durable materials allows the work to function both as a permanent public sculpture and as seating within the landscape surrounding the leisure centre.