Smethwick sculpture to celebrate women who wear hijabs

The piece was designed by sculptor Luke Perry

A new sculpture, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, has been designed to celebrate women who wear hijabs.

The artwork, called Strength of the Hijab, was designed by Luke Perry and will be installed in the Smethwick area of the West Midlands in October.

It is believed to be the first sculpture of a woman wearing the traditional Muslim head covering.

The sculpture is five metres (16ft) tall and weighs about a tonne.

The piece was commissioned by Legacy West Midlands

It was commissioned by Legacy West Midlands, a registered charity which celebrates the heritage of post-war migrant communities in Birmingham.

Mr Perry said: "The Strength of the Hijab is a piece which represents women who wear hijabs of the Islamic faith, and it's really there because it's such an underrepresented part of our community, but such an important one.

"They need visibility, it's so important, so working with the community to come up with the designs has been really exciting because we didn't know what it was going to look like until now."

Mr Perry has previously designed the Black British History is British History sculpture, alongside Canaan Brown, which was installed in Winson Green in May.

The Strength of the Hijab is due to be unveiled in Smethwick next month

That piece was defaced shortly after it was installed. But while Mr Perry acknowledged the new sculpture could be "controversial", he said it was important to represent everyone who lived in the UK.

He said: "There's a possibility that this piece could be controversial for many different reasons.

"I don't feel like any of them are valid, but people do, there are a lot of people who object to the differences that we have in our communities, and would like them to be more divided.

"But the future of our country is about what unites us, not what pulls us apart, which is why it's important to have representation across the whole of the UK, of everybody that lives here.

"The reaction has been really, really positive."