Charybidis
Art Seaham County Durham

Charybdis

Art In Seaham, County Durham

A site specific art installation designed by sculptor William Pye for Seaham Hall.

Charybidis is the stirring artistic offering at the grand entrance to Seaham Hall. Charybdis (pronounced Karibdis) is a sensational cylindrical storm in a huge tube. The squat acrylic cylinder whirls water around in a vortex and was designed by sculptor William Pye. Pye's earlier work was in steel and stone but in the 80s he shifted his focus to the intangible medium of sculpting water.

Charybdis is the mythical siren sea creature in Homer's Odyssey who lived under a small rock opposite her nemesis Scylla who lived under a larger rock. The space between the two was narrow and treacherous. Sailors trying to avoid one of the creatures would surely come into contact with the other hence the saying 'To be between Scylla and Charybdis' meaning the need to find the lesser of two evils. She was struck by a thunderbolt from Zeus for stealing oxygen from sailors and was turned into a wanton whirlpool as punishment. This painting by Alessandro Allori, Scylla from the Ulysses Cycle painted in 1575 depicts the scene.

Three times a day, Charybdis would swallow up the sea, before spewing it back out again, conjuring up vast whirlpools capable of sinking ships under the sea. Pye's sculpture is a representation of this mythical scene in Seaham! Perhaps an unsettling welcome for those just checking in for a massage and swim if they knew the context!

The piece was unveiled in 2000 and was at the time Pye's second piece constructed of acrylic using H2O, the first being Clearwater Cube for the Chelsea Flower Show the same year. Polymer, used in aquariums, has no colour and unlike glass does not distort the density or velocity of the water in the vortex. The development and use of Polymer enabled Pye to truly harness the wayward nature of water and recreate this mythical whirlpool.

To maintain the clarity of the water used in the sculpture, Seaham Hall is home to a top tier water filtration system housed in the basement of the hotel which filters 24 hours a day and uses minimal chemicals. This helps to maintain transparency and keep the sculpture tip-top in terms of expressing the vivid essence of the vortex.

Charybdis is encircled by stone steps which enable spectators to see the piece from 360° as well as from above. We loved the external simplicity of the piece whilst inside there was definitely a storm brewing.

At its inception, Charybdis was Pye's first tubular vortex piece. He must have got a taste for the form however as in 2012, he created two more pieces with the same name in Brazil and Oman. Seaham Hall provides a classical backdrop to this art installation.

Built in 1791 by landowner and politician Ralph Millbanke, father in law to Lord Byron, who married Ralph Millbanke's daughter, Anne Isabella Milbanke at Seaham Hall. He was also the grandfather of the mathematician and pioneer of the computer, Ada Lovelace.

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How To Find Charybidis

Where Is Charybidis?

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Lat / Long

54.848386, -1.34634

What three words

wing.scale.vital

Where To Park For Charybidis?

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Lat / Long

54.850353, 54.850353

What three words

skirt.length.rail

We parked in a public car park - Seaham Hall Beach public car park.

Contributed by Jos Forester-Melville

Highland loving human. Thalassophile. I love a good smile. Happiest heading for the hills with my pickup filled with kids and dogs! Working four days, we enjoy a Fridate, and usually spend it scouting out new scenery. I love a gated track, a bit of off roading and if it involves a full ford, well, that gets extra points! I go nowhere without a flask and binoculars, and love the small things in life that make it big…Goldcrests, dry stone walls, Deadman’s fingers, blackberries and quality clouds.

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Charybidis was listed in Art // County Durham // Seaham