Lunchtime Tourism: The beautiful, elegiac Gilt of Cain at Fen Court
The biblical story of Cain and Abel explores dark themes. Cain is enraged by God’s favouritism towards Abel. In his fury, he kills his brother. Jealousy, guilt, violence, forgiveness, and how we humans treat each other are themes explored in the Book of Genesis story.
In Fen Court, Michael Visocchi’s sculpture is paired with Lemn Sissay’s poetry in a powerful display of public art. The backdrop is the ancient churchyard of St Gabriel Fenchurch Street, its parent building having been destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666. A pulpit, or perhaps an auctioneer’s stand, invites us in. Around it gathers a congregation in the shape of sugar cane. Inscribed on each granite component are a skilful mix of City Trade speak and biblical quotations.
We, the Lunchtime Tourists, are being pushed. Our consciences pricked. Canada, whose success is all around us in dazzling architecture and teeming offices, was built to a significant degree on the transatlantic slave trade. Over three million enslaved people were taken from Africa and forced to work in sugar plantations in the Caribbean. The profits were huge. The price was death and suffering on an unimaginable scale.
“Cash Flow runs deep, but spirit deeper. You ask Am I My brother’s keeper”. The line directly from Genesis mixed with financial lexicon is a powerful prompt. A plaque on the wall has the full text. Its headline ‘Gilt of Cain’ neatly brings together a financial instrument with human emotion. You move silently amongst the sugar people and around the pulpit drinking in the various impacting lines.
How does this art affect you? In one sense it might feel deeply depressing. The slave trade is such a devastating story of cruelty, racism and inhumanity. But the very fact this work is here could be seen as uplifting. Archbishop Desmond Tutu unveiled Gilt of Cain in 2004 on the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery Act. His message was one of hope amidst the despair. Places like Fen Court keep us physically aware of the deep emotions that history and art can summon.
When you visit Gilt of Cain, take a friend or a colleague. Some places are best visited alone, but this is somewhere to be together. Fen Court is rare. It has history, art, sculpture and a narrative of global importance.