Shropshire Star

Shropshire Trojan sculpture a warning of online dangers - from the creator of the Knife Angel

He is best known for his Knife Angel sculpture, a symbol of the campaign against knife crime.

Published
Alfie Bradley with his sculpture, Trojan

Alfie Bradley's new work, Trojan, is a statement against another crime, one that, he says, is becoming endemic across the internet.

The magnificent horse is a representation of the Trojan horses that are prevalent in cybercrime.

In computing, a Trojan horse, or Trojan, is any malware which misleads users of its true intent. The term is derived from the ancient Greek story of the Trojan Horse that led to the fall of the city of Troy.

The 29-year old sculpture, a talented artist, began his working life as a stone mason.

Alfie Bradle's Knife Angel sculpture is currently on display in Chester

"I was born in south east London in 1990 but at the age of three moved to rural France, where my parents and two younger brothers still live," he said.

"After school I spent two years at lycée in central France studying as a tailleur de pierre, a stone carver, and a further year on the borders of Germany at a lycée specialising in sculpture before moving to England in 2013 where I learnt how to weld and work with metal."

"Cybercrime is a very worrying development and the problem is becoming ever more endemic," he added.

He unveiled Trojan on a piece of land near to his studio on the edge of Oswestry.

"I have chosen this dilapidated location as it represent the current decaying internet landscape. Like these battered and damaged buildings, the internet is getting ravaged by Trojan Horses, and cybercrime. We need to stop this problem before the damage becomes irrevocable."

Alfie's Knife Angel sculpture is currently on display in Chester, drawing thousands of Christmas shopper to see it and learn its message. The city has agreed to run a 28 day, anti-knife crime education project as part of its visit.