Giant sculpture unveiled in Birmingham to raise awareness around homelessness
Charity Crisis launched the sculpture today (8th)
Charity Crisis have unveiled a huge sculpture in Birmingham today to raise awareness around homelessness. The 14ft figure titled 'Alex' is based on the facial features of several people who have experienced homelessness.
The powerful stunt comes as research has revealed 300,000 households across Britain could be forced into homelessness next year if the government fails to change its policy.
Appearing overnight in front of St Martin’s in The Bull Ring Church, the colossal sculpture standing 4.3 metres tall has been sculpted by artist Sophie de Oliveira Barata, a special effects prosthetics expert from London.
Jasmine Basran, Head of Policy at Crisis Charity, said: "So often the people we support in our front-line services tell us that their experience with homelessness means that they feel ignored and not seen.
"The point here is that you can't miss this, and you can't ignore it," she said.
Taking a considerable 10 weeks to create and sitting at 2.5 tonnes, the sculpture will be surrounded by QR codes which lead visitors towards the website and opportunities to donate to the charity.
Alex was first unveiled at London’s Kings Cross before being transferred to the Birmingham Bullring where it will continue to raise awareness in Birmingham from 8th to 11th December.