Redemption Song

The Redemption Song statue in Emancipation Park was unveiled in July 2003 and is possibly the most controversial pieces of Jamaican artwork of all time The bronze sculpture stands at 11 foot tall and is of a nude couple looking up towards the sky. The statue is set on a water feature of water gently flowing over a dome. At the base of the dome is inscribed "None but ourselves can free our minds". Words originally spoken by Marcus Garvey and later used by Bob Marley in "Redemption Song".

Redemption Song by Laura Lacey stands 3.3m (11 feet) tall in Emancipation Park, Kingston, Jamaica.

The statue has attracted a lot of criticism during its short lifetime, mainly due to the nudity of the two figures and, more particularly, the generous bodily proportions. Others object to the statue on the grounds that the symbolism of emancipation is not explicit enough and that very few people would understand the message; others simply believe that too much money was spent on the statue which could have been better spent elsewhere.

"It has surprised me," she said. "I expected something but not this. Public art is new to Jamaica and people project their own anxieties on to it."

It took a month to create a model of the monument and five months to carve the larger-than-life-size figures from dense styrofoam. The foam sculptures were then cut into 69 pieces before being cast in bronze and later rejoined. Though the figures are hollow, the finished male weighs 2000lbs and the female 1300lbs. Over 100 persons including artisans and engineers were involved in the final stages of Redemption Song, which was unveiled in July 2003, in time for the Park's first anniversary.

Redemption Song truly represents the spirit of freedom. A freedom to Hope, to Excel and to Be.