‘ I AM LOVE’
frequently asked questions
who DOES THE Sculpture BELONG TO ?
The sculpture is a public piece of art and belongs to everyone.
THE KNIFE ANGEL IS A STATUE FOR VIOLENCE SO Why is this different?
The Knife Angel addresses violence in all its forms. Youth violence is not recognised by any other designated social art piece, which is confirmed via extensive consultation with young people, as affecting many young lives.
WHY CHELMSFORD ?
Keep It 100 Youth CIC is based in Chelmsford and constitutionally committed to empowering young lives against the harms of violence and exploitation.
The Sculpture is an evidence informed project based on the Knife Angel Chelmsford visit, extensive youth community consultation and informed on recommendations for addressing youth violence from within the community.
The cost of the entire project roughly equates to a years salary of a youth worker, the extensive voluntary time committed to the project has enabled this to become a reality. Outdoor youth work has increasingly become recognised as a valuable asset of empowerment, irrespective of background and current engagement / non engagement with youth services .
It provides a place for parents, carers, peers to address some really tough but necessary conversation. The QR code at the sculpture site is informed by the Knife Angel Chelmsford QR code, whereby . during the Knife Angel visit, thousands of website visits with multiple re directions to support Agencies across Essex and more specific matters for national agencies, were evidenced, providing a sustainable and discrete listing of sources for self-empowerment against the harms violence and exploitation.
In addition to the specific focus on youth violence, is the carefully chosen location, whereby there is opportunity to comfortably spend time in the sculpture surroundings , enabling authentic and unpressurised education and reflection, which is evidence informed as a model that worked during the Knife Angel Chelmsford visit.
Youth engaged authentically, without pressure, in surroundings they already frequent. Young people were noted as having group picnics, gathering in groups on their bikes, engaging with police in conversation. This scope of sustainable youth empowerment is currently unparalleled in the UK
WHY HAS FRANK WHITMORE GREEN for the location
The area is green with provision for time to be spent in surrounding that feel safe and are open, additionally it is a matter of metres from an established young engagement zone in Central Park Chelmsford, where the skate park is sited, providing surrounding which facilitate genuine engagement an opportunity to reflect.
The site is easy accessible to users of public transport, being located within a few minutes walk of both Chelmsford bus station and Chelmsford train station.
WHAT IS REFLECTION
Reflection is defined in the Oxford English dictionary as: The action or process of thinking carefully or deeply about a particular subject.
(‘reflection, n’, 2023).
why is The sculpture named ‘I am love’ ?
It is named after Keep It 100 Youth CIC Ambassador and Mentor, previously Grammy nominated Joy Farrukh’s Composition ‘I am love’. Following Joy’s powerful performance at the Knife Angel Chelmsford vigil on September 25th, 2021. The song reflects the ethos of Keep It 100 Youth CIC, whereby making positive choices can empower love within ourselves.
What does the sculpture represent ?
A heart represents life and love. Feathers symbolise honour, unity, freedom and strength in numbers.
what is the purpose of the sculpture ?
To reduce violent crime and the harm it is causing within our communities, by addressing the roots of perpetration. By providing a catalyst for sustainable conversations connected to all forms of youth violence. Left unaddressed, experience of youth violence can impact resilience and lead to criminal exploitation, and/or perpetration of violence, during time spent with young people throughout the sculpture consultation and workshop activities, it became apparent how have been affected by the various forms of youth violence.
Additionally the Sculpture serves purpose in empowering positive community action, whereby it has been informed by the seven key recommendations by The World Health Organisation (1), and their subsequent Social Ecological Model (2) which presents specific protective factors against youth violence that the community can assist with. These include (i) Public disapproval of violence and (ii) Positive relationships among community members.
It is reported , a key preventative factor relating to youth violence in the UK is peer mediation (3) whereby a young person mediates conflict, the Sculpture and its surroundings provide opportunity for this remedial practice, to be extended into he community in a neutral setting with a focal point of the sculpture. Data from studies show this to be more impactful than school based bullying programmes (4)
What is the Sculpture CONSTRUCTED of ?
Standing at 15ft in height and weighing 1.25 tonnes, the statue’s main body is 8ft in height, 6ft in depth, and 7 f t in width. Constructed of 900 metres of 8mm x 316 grade stainless steel, it contains sheet metal crafted into a feather wind chime, with Amnesty deposits from across Essex donated by Essex Police , and Keep It 100 Youth CIC whose bins are located in Chelmsford. The knives have been bleached, blunted and welded into the statue by Artist Alfie Bradley.
what is meant by youth led ?
During the entire process of building the sculpture, consultations with young people provided valuable insight into the many forms of violence they are facing, which led to the design incorporating features relevant to young people.
Who is the artist ?
The sculpture is a collaborative piece by Knife Angel Artist Alfie Bradley and Luisa Di Marco.
WHAT IS VIOLeNCE ?
Violence is an act by another person that has a harmful impact on another persons mental and / or physical wellbeing.
what is youth violence ?
An act of violence perpetrated by, or committed against a young person (in England and Wales a young person is classified as 25 years and under), Youth Violence is a global public health problem .It includes bullying, online abuse, physical fighting, sexual violence, physical violence, use of weapons and homicide. (5)
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF YOUTH VIOLENCE ?
Exposure to violence at an early age can impair brain development and damage other parts of the nervous system, as well as the endocrine, circulatory, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory and immune systems, with lifelong consequences (6)
Lives are lost due to sustaining physically fatal injuries, including by weapons. Lives are being irreversibly and catastrophically destroyed by psychological, physical and social harm when a young person experiences or perpetrates violence.
Experiencing violence as a young person can feel isolating, humiliating and scary, left unaddressed it can dictate the rest of someones life , due to the attached vulnerability, youth violence can lead to a young person being subject to exploitation and dangerous relationships.
is the sculpture for remembrance ?
Plans for an annual vigil to be hosted at the statue to remember all lives lost to youth violence will be developed subsequent to the unveiling., the first was held at the Knife Angel with places across the UK invited to join Chelmsford in lighting up buildings purple in unity with the Knife Angel. Lost lives include Those include young people whose lives have ended to suicide due to experiencing and witnessing,
The white feathers within the wind chime, which have been painted by young people during Keep It 100 Youth CIC workshops, is to provide an opportunity to reflect on lives that have been lost.
is the sculpture for knife crime ?
In reflecting that knife crime is a feature of youth violence. the statue contains knives, machetes and other deposits which were donated by Essex Police and represent the county inclusion in the sculpture, and some Keep It 100 Youth CIC deposits into the organisations Chelmsford bins which are representative of local contribution to the sculpture.
A clear message from young people is seeing knives can cause trauma, additionally, there are many other pressures relating to violence that young people are coping with which are not being spoken about on a en equal platform. This feedback was incorporated into the design, with a view to visually displaying ‘what are knives doing there’, because what are they doing anywhere within our communities.
The sculpture and its carefully chosen surrounding, can be a place of education and reflection on knife crime as part of the tapestry of youth violence, the loss of life to an act of violence is the end of a story, by addressing the roots of perpetration and providing intervention through awareness of vulnerability factors which increase the risk of perpetration violence, young people can be empowered to make positive decisions away from violence.
WHY YOUTH VIOLENCE AND NOT ALL VIOLENCE ?
Young people’s brains are still developing until 25 years old, Typically adults respond to situations with a part of the brain called prefrontal cortex - the rational part of the brain, a young person is most likely to respond with a part of the brain called the armygadala - the emotional part of the brain, equating to choices based on emotion.The effects of this are multiple, perpetrating an emotionally charged act of violence can lead to a catastrophic outcomes.
In considering a key to grooming is ‘ trust and emotional connection with a child or young person’ (7) a brain that typically relies on the emotional part to make decisions, is highly vulnerable to ill choices and exploitation.
Perpetration of, or living a life dictated by experiencing , youth violence can lead to a lifetime of normalising violence. For example, a young person who witnesses domestic violence may develop into a perpetrator as this is what was normal for them, a young person who has sent explicit photos of themselves and been to scared to address it, may be subject to criminal and sexual exploitation out of fear, and remain vulnerable throughout adult hood.
Likewise young person who fears failure because the have been mentally violated into believing they are worthless through, for example, bullying, may express themselves with anger and violence.
By highlighting the root causes of violence and vulnerability, conversations and understanding, alongside positive supported choices, can lead to the confidence that experience of violence as a young person, does not need to dictate an entire life time.
World Health Organisation https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/youth-violence p.15
World Health Organisation https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/youth-violence p.27
Lee S, Kim CJ, Kim DH. A meta-analysis of the effect of school-based anti-bullying programs. J Child Health Care. 2015 Jun;19(2):136-53. doi: 10.1177/1367493513503581. Epub 2013 Oct 3. PMID: 24092871. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24092871/
World Health Organisation - Youth violence info studies - United Kingdom data https://apps.who.int/violence-info/studies?area=youth-violence&aspect=prevention&country=GB&group-by=region
World Health Organisation https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/youth-violence
Felitti V,Anda R, Nordenberg D, Williamson D, Spitz A, Edwards V, Koss M, Marks J. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults
– the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 1998; 14(4): 245-58.National Society For the Protection of Children (NSPCC) https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/grooming/#:~:text=Grooming%20is%20when%20someone%20builds,their%20age%2C%20gender%20or%20race.