Gilt of Cain sculpture City of London. Photo:Jeff Gilbert
he artwork is significantly sited in London’s financial district close to the site where the Rev. John Newton’s powerful anti-slavery sermons in St. Mary Woolnoth church inspired the abolitionist founder William Wilberforce. The granite sculpture is comprised of a group of columns surrounding a podium. The columns suggest the form of sugar cane stems and the podium, an ecclesiastical pulpit or slave auctioneer’s stance. The columns are positioned so as to suggest an anonymous crowd or congregation gathered to listen to a speaker. Sissay’s poem ‘The Gilt of Cain’, skilfully weaves the coded language of the stock exchange trading floor with Old Testament biblical references. The Fen Court project is part of the City of London’s Street Scene Challenge which seeks to create a high quality and attractive public realm for the financial district’s residents, workers and visitors. The memorial has been incorporated into Fen Court’s newly designed courtyard and pedestrian route. This project has been funded through a Section 106 Agreement with British Land.
Size: 3744px × 5616px
Location: Fen Court, City of London, England, UK
Photo credit: © Jeff Gilbert / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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