Exhibition with knives and weapons confiscated by the police comes to The Higgins Bedford

Blunt Blades - a new display exploring our relationships with knives and their variety of roles - opens at The Higgins Bedford next week.

The contemporary display - by leading visual artist, Arabel Lebrusan - opens on Thursday, November 11 and runs until October next year.

With three crates of confiscated knives and weapons from Bedfordshire Police, Arabel 's display explores whether the meaning of an object can be re-established and transformed to evoke different emotions.

The display features seven new works in a variety of mediums, including photography, sculpture, jewellery, drawings and audio, delving into the commonly held perception of knives from specialised tools in everyday jobs to status symbols and deadly weapons, and transforming their meanings.

Detective Inspector Mark Pugh, from Bedfordshire Police’s Boson guns and gangs team, said: “We are happy to support this project as it’s wonderful to see these confiscated weapons being used in a positive way.

“We will always look to support new and creative ways to raise awareness of the consequences of knife crime, particularly amongst young people.”

The display is free to visit and is supported by Arts Council England.