The Knife Angel may have left Milton Keynes, but its legacy has wings at MK Gallery.

As part of this year’s Street Arts programme, members of the group will be creating a new sculpture to add to the legacy of the Knife Angel’s Month of Action held at Stadium MK throughout December and into early January 2023. The 20ft Knife Angel sculpture, is made from 100,000 bladed weapons collected by police from knife amnesty bins across the country. MK Gallery Street Art members will use the 4,500 anti-violence pledges that visitors left at the Knife Angel and create a permanent 3D monument for Milton Keynes which will be on show to the public in MK Gallery for three weeks from 15 February.

Established in 2020, Street Arts runs termly for young people from the age of 11 to 15. Supported by MK Together Partnership, MK Gallery and Paramount Parkour Academy deliver workshops and activities for young people at risk of knife crime. The programme combines Parkour training and artist workshops. Members of the Street Arts team have enjoyed creative sessions including spray painting, film making, t-shirt printing and photography. They can share their new artistic and Parkour skills at events held at the Gallery.

This year the programme, starting in February half term, will begin with artist-led workshops for members working on the legacy sculpture.

Tara Sheldon, Producer, Public Programmes (children and families) MK Gallery said:

‘As part of MK Gallery’s on-going work with young people across the city, Street Arts continues to provide young people with a safe space to develop skills they need to make positive choices and meet other young people. I’m excited about this year’s group and the programme we are delivering in strong partnership with Paramount Parkour.’

Paramount Parkour will continue to provide free parkour workshops to demonstrate how to stay active outdoors throughout the year – without equipment, materials, or added expense.

As Ruel Da Costs of Paramount Parkour Academy said:

‘For over 15 years I have been teaching parkour in and around Milton Keynes. Parkour has given me a platform to work with 1000s of young people and engage with them on a completely different level, earning their trust and respect. Then using this opportunity to teach them to have respect for fellow humans, themselves, and property.

‘To co-produce this project means a lot to me. Young people are the future of this city and many of them do not have the best of starts, so giving them these opportunities could be life changing.

They have performed alongside Paramount Parkour’s Elite Squad and Ninja Warrior UK’s Ruel Da Costa in outfits they designed, as well as creating artwork for their showcase performance.

The Street Art programme is funded by the MK Together Partnership.

For further information contact MK Gallery 

press@mkgallery.org

Or

Sam Matthews/Sam Lennon 
smatthews@mkgallery.org / slennon@mkgallery.org 

01908 558 314                     01908 558 302