Prisoners unlock their talents to create Angel sculpture
Peter’s Angel is one of the many striking exhibits in ‘Angels Among Us’ in Magheralin Parish Church and was created by prisoners from HMP Maghaberry working with the Extern Works Light Engineering Programme.
The angel, which stands at a height of 6 feet 11 inches, is sculpted in metal with keys, chains and locks. It took 450 hours to make and is the work of one tradesman and three apprentices.
The apprentices had never worked with metal before and learned a whole new set of skills to complete the project. They didn’t use any computer aided design or manufacturing during the fabrication process, and everything was crafted by hand.
- A total of 1500 pieces of metal were used in its creation.
- Approximately 500 individual feathers make up the wings and body.
- It took 180,000 passes of the grinder to give the feathered effect.
- The angel’s head is made from approximately 50 keys, of 6 different designs.
The artists are rightly very proud of the result, having put a lot of time and effort into its creation using very limited resources.
Opening times
‘Angels Among Us’ runs until December 8 (6.00 pm to 9.30 pm Monday to Thursday; 10.00 am to 9.30 pm Friday and Saturday and 2.00 pm to 7.30 pm Sunday).
Those interested in making group bookings or requiring further information should call Eileen Cousins on 07840484547.
Who was Peter’s Angel?
This account of an angelic visitation is found in Acts 12: 6–11 where Peter is in prison awaiting execution. Sleeping in his cell, he lies guarded by soldiers and bound with chains. A bright light in the cell announces the angel’s appearance, Peter’s chains fall off and the cell doors are unlocked.