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, in Oswestry, England and is outside Guildford Cathedral from 1 to 30 March 2023.
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.
Completed in 2018, the angel stands 27 ft (8.2 m) tall and weighs in at 3.5 tonnes. It is made from knives either left in one of the 200 specifically created knife banks or confiscated by the police from across the country.
It was designed as a national monument against violence and aggression with the aim of bringing about social change by educating people of all ages about the harmful and negative effects of knife crime and all types of violent and aggressive behaviour, on both individuals and communities. To fulfil this aim the Knife Angel is on a permanent tour of the UK so that as many people as possible can see this thought-provoking artwork.
More details can be found on Guildford Cathedral's website – https://www.guildford-cathedral.org/events/knife-angel
