William Pye - Water Sculpture

Archimedes is made of mirror-polished stainless steel, and is named after the ‘Archimedes Screw’ developed by the pre-eminent Greek mathematician and inventor, Archimedes (287-212 BC). The sculpture takes the form of a giant corkscrew (4.5metres in length) which emerges from the water whilst slowly turning to lift water to the top before disgorging it on to a stainless-steel cone which also seems to rise from the water, although it is in fact static.

The sculpture apparently floats on the water at West India Quay through a complex system of sixteen buoyancy tanks filled with air and water which keep afloat a submerged pontoon measuring 10 x 3 metres. Concrete anchor weights of 22 tons keep the entire structure stable.