The piece grew directly out of Angels Unawares — Schmalz kept the same verse, Hebrews 13:2, alive in his studio by playing recordings of it on a loop while he worked. Hearing it over and over is what pushed him to sculpt the “unawares” part of the verse directly: the idea that something sacred can be hiding inside a person who looks rough, or ordinary, or even unsettling at first glance.

He’s described the piece as resting on a simple belief — that everyone carries something angelic in them, and that spirituality only really shows up when it’s practiced outward, toward yourself, other people, and God.

Tim on the piece: “This is a monument to all those pilgrims who, over many centuries, walked this Camino looking for the angel hidden within them.” He’s also pointed out that sitting down next to the angel is the whole point of the piece — the moment you join him on the bench, you stop being a stranger yourself.