The Guilt of Cain

This Sculpture is in Fen Court off Fenchurch Street in the City of London. It is called The Guilt of Cain.

The Sculpture is by Michael Visocchi and incorporates a poem by Sissay Lemn. It is to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

Fen Court is near to the site of St Mary Woolnoth church, where the Reverend John Newton (author of legendary freedom hymn Amazing Grace) delivered powerful anti-slavery sermons inspired by abolitionist founder William Wilberforce. The conceptual sculpture, Guilt of Cain, was the result of a partnership between Black British Heritage, the City Corporation's Street Scene team and curators Future City. 17 sugar canes rise dramatically from the ground surrounding a slave auctioneer's pulpit. Words from Sissay's poem The Guilt of Cain, which cleverly combines the language of the Stock Exchange trading floor with Old Testament references, wrap the sculpture.