Knife Angel

The Knife Angel (also referred to as the National Monument Against Violence & Aggression) is a contemporary sculpture formed of 100,000 knives created by artist Alfie Bradley and the British Ironworks Centre, based in Oswestry, England.[1]

Knife Angel
The Knife Angel, Telford, March, 2020
ArtistAlfie Bradley, British Ironworks Centre
Completion date2018
TypeSculpture
Dimensions (27 feet (8.2 m) in)

Completed in 2018, the structure of the angel stands at 27 ft (8.2 m) tall.[2] In order to create the sculpture, 200 knife banks were produced by the Ironworks and amnesties held for individuals to anonymously donate their knives. Knives seized by police were also included, some of which arrived in evidence tubes still with bodily fluids on their surface.[1]

The sculpture was created in order to highlight knife crime in the United Kingdom and educate young people on the harmful effect violent behaviour can have on their communities.[3][4]

Construction

Once the knives were delivered to the British Ironworks Centre in Oswestry, Shropshire, each one was disinfected before being blunted. The knives were then welded onto an existing steel frame to form the body of the angel and remaining knives were welded onto steel plates to form the wings, giving a feather-like appearance.[5]

Families who lost loved ones as a result of knife crime were invited to have a message engraved onto a blade used in the sculpture. Over 80 families contacted the artist in order to engrave a personal message on a blade used in the wings.[1]

In 2014, early design stages of the Knife Angel are shown on the television show Escape to the Country where show host, Jules Hudson was allowed by artist, Alfie Bradley, to weld a WWII bayonet onto a metal plate as part of the project. The project was originally expected to be complete in 2015, as mentioned in the episode. Sketches of Alfie's Knife Angel are shown as well as his previous knife statues.[6]

The National Anti-Violence UK Tour

Following the completion of the sculpture in 2018 it began a nationwide tour in order to highlight the anti-violence message behind its construction.[7]

The sculpture was on display in Corby Northamptonshire until 29 May 2022,[8] and for the month of June was displayed in Aberystwyth.[9]

The sculpture was on display outside the Grand Entrance to Birkenhead Park on the Wirral Peninsula for July 2022.[10]

The sculpture was on display at Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar during August 2022. In December 2022 the Knife Angel travelled to Milton Keynes where a variety of educational events created a long lasting legacy.

The Knife Angel was situated in Newport, near Friars Walk, for the month of November 2022.[11]

The Knife Angel was situated in Slough in January 2023, Gloucester Cathedral for February 2023 and Guildford Cathedral from 1 until 30 March 2023. It was in Crewe, Cheshire during May 2023,[12] and arrived in Nuneaton, Warwickshire on 1 June to spend four weeks in the town's Market Place.[13] It was then displayed in Lichfield, Staffordshire for a month from 1 July.[14]

References
  1. "National Monument Against Violence & Aggression". www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  2. "THE KNIFE ANGEL". alfie-bradley. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  3. "The Knife Angel - Official". www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  4. "The Knife Angel: Frequently Asked Questions". www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  5. "The Build". alfie-bradley. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  6. Escape to the Country (Season 16 Episode 21). BBC
  7. "The Knife Angel UK Tour". www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  8. "Official Knife Angel Page | The British Ironwork Centre". Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  9. "Knife Angel to go on display in Aberystwyth town centre | cambrian-news.co.uk". 25 May 2022.
  10. "View spectacular pictures as 'Knife Angel' sculpture arrives in Birkenhead". Wirral Globe. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  11. "Knife Angel sculpture unveiled in Newport - South Wales Argus". 2 November 2022.
  12. "Knife Angel tour locations". 2 May 2023.
  13. Harrison, Claire (30 May 2023). "Knife Angel in Nuneaton - when it arrives and what it means". CoventryLive. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  14. "Striking sculpture raising awareness of knife crime is coming to Lichfield". Lichfield Live. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
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