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Fountains Abbey: Artwork based on mystery pyramid on display

Owen Humphreys/PA Wire 'These Passing Things' and Steve MessamOwen Humphreys/PA Wire
Artist Steve Messam pictured with 'Spiked' which appears to burst through the columns of a folly

A set of striking artworks inspired by a mysterious pyramid have gone on display in North Yorkshire.

'These Passing Things', by artist Steve Messam, is a collection of bold and bright pieces at the National Trust's Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.

The designs were inspired by 18th Century blueprints for a 52.5ft (16m) funerary pyramid, with no evidence it was ever built on the estate.

The collection near Ripon will be on show from 10 July until autumn.

A National Trust spokesperson said archives show the pyramid was commissioned by Studley Royal landowner William Aislabie after his father's death.

Owen Humphreys/PA Wire Bridge artwork at Fountains AbbeyOwen Humphreys/PA Wire
'Bridged' was created close to the site of a lost iron bridge from the 18th Century
Owen Humphreys/PA Wire 'Drifted' artworkOwen Humphreys/PA Wire
'Drifted' sees 12 floating pyramids in a canal at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal

Scale drawings and detailed costings exist for the building, but no further mentions of it have been found.

The artworks feature 12 floating pyramids in a canal, a scarlet bridge across the river Skell and an inflatable exhibit bursting through one of the World Heritage Site's follies.

Mr Messam said: "I guess the overall thing is identifying with the whole concept of follies - architectural oddities of no specific function other than their visual aesthetic.

"While over time we may invest them with meaning or stories, at their core they're just there - large-scale artworks in the landscape, and as an artist that's what I've been interested in for the past 20 years."

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