The Scylla bench and Charybdis stool are named after legendary monsters In Greek mythology, Scylla lives on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite her counterpart Charybdis. Scylla and Charybdis, the names of two rocks between Italy and Sicily are only a short distance from one another. In the midst of one of these rocks, there dwelt, according to Homer, Scylla, a fearful monster, barking like a dog, with twelve feet, six long necks and mouths. The opposite rock contained an immense fig-tree, under which there dwelt Charybdis, who thrice every day swallowed down the waters of the sea, and thrice threw them up again creating large whirlpools: both were formidable to the ships which had to pass between them. "between the devil and the deep blue sea", and "between a rock and a hard place" are idioms associated with being between Scylla and Charybdis

The sinuous forms of Scylla and Charybdis are the result of turning flat Euclidean shaped templates into three-dimensional models. Made in clay, the templates are then squeezed between the thumbs and fingers, this “pinch” then raises the clay template to form a model. Scylla and Charybdis are part of a series of models, each model is resultant from the logic of the proposition, each model evidence of an underlying law of the universe.

The logic of the proposition is perfectly translated from the clay model to full-size furniture; a solid sheet of acrylic is placed in an oven to soften it, removed hot the sheet is placed over a mould and then “pinched” at the sides, once cooled the material then returns to a solid rigid state. Created by highly skilled craftsman in the UK, each piece is handmade and unique.

Upholstered in the UK by highly skilled leatherworkers Scylla and Charybdis are wrapped in beautiful Arapaima Gigas (Pirarucu) fish skin. Known as the "Amazon Giant", the freshwater fish is native to the Brazilian Amazon. Thousands of families in the region have survival linked to the Arapaima Gigas fishes capture and conservation. Supplied by Global Green / Nova Kaeru the skin of Arapaima Gigas fish is able to build a complete sustainable cycle, protecting the forests, wildlife and people who depend on them. 

Photographs Courtesy of Thomas Joseph Wright PenguinsEgg Ltd for Gallery FUMI