A 27-foot Knife Angel has arrived in Stoke on Trent made of 100,000 knives to draw attention to knife crime here in the United Kingdom.
Based at the Smithfield Building the Knife Angel has replaced the travelling Secrets of Dumbledore wand display as the latest attraction in the city centre.
All of the knives and blades that make up the Knife Angel have been confiscated by police forces up and down the country.
As part of a natural tour that started back in 2018 in Liverpool, Stoke on Trent is the statue’s new home for the next month.
The sculpture and surrounding material around the display are there to highlight the devastating impact that knife crime can have in the hopes of educating people young and old across the city.
Numerous blades that make up the statue have messages written on them from families directly affected by knife crime.
In 2014, the ‘Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife’ campaign was born and the British Ironwork Centre got started on making the Knife Angel.
Ironworks reached out to families, communities and cities affected by these horrific acts of violence and the response was overwhelming.
The statue aims to carry the voices of victims and families in a sensitive light and working alongside the Home Office the Ironworks worked in collaboration with 43 police constabularies across the UK.
Knife banks were set up to collect the thousands of weapons and thus the statue was born.
1,800 of the knives used in the sculpture were provided from amnesties in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.
As well as the statue on display there will be a number of activities happening in schools across the city.
Surrender bins for the safe disposal of knives will be available at Longton Police Station and near to the sculpture whilst it is in the city.
This iconic structure is yet another great addition to Stoke on Trent as the Smithfield Building is certainly becoming the go-to space to host such travelling displays.
After the success of the Secrets of Dumbledore display and now with the addition of the Knife Angel it’s certainly a space to keep an eye out for in the future.
The message is clear and it is a great opportunity for communities to come together and educate people about the dangers of knife crime.
Artist Alfie Bradley has created an absolute masterpiece with a very strong message behind it and along with British Ironwork Centre’s Clive Knowles who came up with the concept of the statue this piece would never have been possible.
The insane craftsmanship and levels of detail within the statue really have to be seen up close and the stark message this statue delivers divides the line between sadness and awe-inspiring.
A truly beautiful piece of work that has to be seen up close but please do pay attention as to why the statue is there and the reason why it holds such meaning to all of those affected by knife crime up and down the country.
Check out our very short video from the Smithfield site as we head down to Hanley, Stoke on Trent to see this beautiful sculpture with our own eyes.
