Knife Angel, a statue made from over 100,000 knives of various sizes, stands at 8.2 meters tall and is a striking work of art that has attracted worldwide attention. The statue's wings are made of hundreds of sharp knives, making many people uneasy about the material used. However, the sculpture's meaning is to fight against crime and violence and promote peace.
When discussing the most famous statue in Europe, most people immediately think of Michelangelo's David, currently displayed in the Accademia Gallery in Florence, Italy. However, there are many other unique and meaningful statues in the world, including a recently completed angel statue that has attracted a lot of attention from people worldwide.
Named Knife Angel, this 8.2-meter-tall statue is a work of art by artist Alfie Bradley and the British Ironwork Centre. It is made from over 100,000 knives of various sizes.
The material used in the statue has made many people feel uneasy. Many people find it difficult to understand how a statue of an angel could be made from such a dangerous and sharp material. The angel's wings are made up of hundreds of sharp knives, and each feather is a knife.
However, when people learn about the statue's meaning, they are surprised to discover the hidden message behind it, which is to "fight against crime, violence, and promote peace."
Many tourists wonder where these knives come from. The answer is surprising. These 100,000 knives and swords were sent anonymously after the "Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife" amnesty program run by the British Ironwork Centre in Shropshire. Each knife is a weapon of crime and a tool used for violent acts.
Among them, many knives were sent by police and families who lost loved ones in knife attacks. Notably, around 30% of the knives used in the statue still had human blood and other bodily fluids on them when they were sent.
Before being used to build the statue, the weapons were cleaned and processed to remove their sharpness to avoid injuring people during transportation and future exhibitions.
Alfie Bradley's idea was inspired by a documentary about knife crime in the UK, and he wanted to raise awareness of the danger of these weapons on the streets. But above all, the angel statue brings a sense of "healing" – it remembers those who died from knife violence, soothes the pain of their families, and reminds individuals to refrain from using weapons to hurt others.
