WORKSHOP | THE MYTH OF MEDUSA RETOLD: ARTWORK & BEACH MANDALA RITUAL

A journey through myth, art, and collaborative participation, this work brings together a range of moving parts. At its centre is the myth and symbol of Medusa, whose enduring nature—evolving and adopted by diverse groups and cultures over many centuries—provides a catalyst and anchor. Throughout the ‘Centenary Celebration’ event, each part of this work came into focus at different times.

A striking sculptural Medusa, together with 120 seaweed snakes, formed a focal point and ritual figure for this multipart work, brought into being through alchemical processes of gathering, transforming, and creating anew. The natural materials, connected to both land and sea, still evident in the final forms.

Unfolding over three phases, a beach ritual provided the culmination of this work, combining collective imagination, collaboration, and place, with natural found materials and symbolic snake offerings, inspired by Medusa’s eventual return to the ocean.

This short film shows elements of the artwork and beach ritual, which took place at Polhawn Cove, capturing the ‘choreography’ of participants, flotsam, sea and snakes in the collective evolution of the Beach Mandala and features a time-lapse sequence of the waves as they reclaim it with the turning of the tide.

For a fuller picture of the work, visit the accompanying web microsite, which is structured around interlinked pages that draw together storytelling, background information, documentation, and reflection.
https://www.jungbythesea.co.uk/cc-sarahhall-medusa