Statue of Unity

The Statue of Unity, colloquially known as the Unity Angel, is a colossal copper statue located in Latium Park, Knowlestown, in South Ranomia. The statue is designed in the Hatar style of neoclassicism, and was conceived by Saessish sculptor J. M. Harvey. Finished in 1951 just before the opening of the Knowlestown World’s Fair, it was considered one of the largest monuments in the world at the time, and was widely celebrated for its attainment to engineering. Today, it remains an landmark of the city, visible throughout the north end and neighboring suburbs of the greater metro area. With its height of 303 feet from wing top to toe, it is the tallest statue in South Ranomia, and the XXth tallest statue in the world.

Origin
The idea of a grand monument for South Ranomia was first envisioned by then mayor of Knowlestown, Edd Niece, in 1938 when he envisioned a project called the Grand Knight Monument. In an interview with the Knowles Times, Niece described that the statue would depict a 100 foot knight in armor, point its sword forward with its arm extended in the direction that the city's river was flowing. Based off historic depictions of knights from Hatar, the towering sculpture would be made out of sheets of thick copper, finished off with a layer of tar paint to give it a black finish that would perfectly contrast the white buildings of the city. The planned statue would to be built in Vengeance borough to help the local economy, although public opposition to this soon formed quickly in the borough after the concept’s announcement. City investors weren’t convinced that the project was viable, with one developer claiming that the statue would be a, “destroyer, rather than a savior”. Furthermore, the Knowlestown Board of Chemistry posted a report 2 weeks after the announcement, claiming that the sun would cause the tar on the statue to heat up and emit a pungent smell in the area, which would put a risk to pedestrian health. The Chemistry report, along with lackluster investor support, caused many to dismiss the project as a waste of time. Despite this, the city council of Knowlestown was nevertheless intrigued at Niece’s proposal for an icon, and continued working with him on further concepts.

In 1947, Knowlestown given the greenlight by the XXX to be the host of the 1951 World’s Fair, which reinvigorated interest for progress at home. The chance to host an event at this scale was a once in a lifetime opportunity for many, and thus investors were looking for ways to thrive off of this event. Edd Niece, who resigned as mayor in 1942, was still a prominent entrepreneur in the industry, and thus was eager to hop on the bandwagon of the upcoming World’s Fair. Shortly after Knowlestown was awarded the prestigious position, Niece approached the city council with another proposal for an eye-catching statue, this time specifically for the fair. The city council, already known for trusting his time, agreed to the idea and soon announced plans for a monument to be built at the opening of the fair in 1951. While the public was still skeptical about the news, the general consensus was less pessimistic towards Niece, especially with the fair being such a predominant bargain. A week after the council’s announcement, Edd Niece would soon be contacted by a man named J. M. Harvey, a local sculptor who had recently immigrated to the country. Harvey reportedly stated that he was interested in drafting the design for Niece’s project, and invited Niece to come visit hit art exhibit in the North End of Knowlestown. Niece, still haunted by the memories of his 1938 embarrassment, agreed, and payed a visit to Harvey’s exhibit. During the visit, Harvey jokingly remarked, ”If the public thinks you’ll screw this up, I’ll be your guardian angel”. Niece laughed at the remark, and soon began to suggest the idea of making their sculpture an angel, to- “signify that Knowlestown was the city of angels, like heaven”. After some discussion, Harvey eventually agreed on the idea of an angelic statue.

Design, style, and symbolism
Ever since his early childhood, Edd Niece was fascinated with Kaurrissem. His father was the priest of his home town, and attending church was an importance greater than anything to him in his youth. Ever since then, Niece had developed a childlike wonder of religious imagery, with his favorite always being the angel. His religious dedication often leaked into his political career. For example, Niece was credited for the preservation of over 20 churches in Knowlestown over the course of his term as mayor, but was also accused of pushing religion into sectors of life that typically had no affiliation to church. He once debated putting bibles on the city’s public transit cars for passengers to read, which was rejected by the council. J. M. Harvey, on the other hand, was actually an atheist by the time he was a sculptor, and was always used to creating abstract imagery with his works. Despite their different backgrounds and beliefs, Niece was adamant that he could get the project done on schedule. During initial development, Harvey read several religious texts and novels to get an understanding of an angel’s symbolic meaning and purpose, as well as to get a sense of Niece’s approach from his point of view. There were many ideas thrown around during early development. Harvey initially wanted the angel to be depicted riding a horse and holding up a javelin. Niece despised the idea, seeing the horse and sword as nothing more than, “a crutch for what is more powerful than any weapon, the wielder”. Niece proposed the idea of having the angel suspended above the pedestal with the help of several thin rods, giving it the appearance of flying forwards. However, Harvey stated that such a structure would be both too complex and too structurally unstable for such a heavy statue. There was even a debate about what gender the angel itself should be. Niece was adamant that the angel should be a male, as he wanted the statue to portray masculinity, while Harvey wanted the angel to be a female to portray more elegance in the design. Niece remained firm on his stance, Harvey threatened to leave the project all together, but eventually the two would agree on the basic design of the statue. A female angel wearing a tunic and holding her arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture of embrace. As for design, Harvey chose to model the angel in a neoclassical design, which would conform to the rest of the town, which was built during said era.