Summary:
A sculpture of 13 rats, a rat-shaped building and a rat-shaped building, is to go on show in London.

Full article:
At first glance, this looks like a rodent infestation straight out of Dickensian London. But this is actually a sculpture by the Victorian novelist’s great-great granddaughter Sophie, an acclaimed artist in her own right. She forged the rodents from bronze, though at more than 2ft long they are much larger than life. The 13 giant bronze rats sculpture, which was created by Sophie Dickens, an ancestor of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens . ‘A rat wouldn’t readily come to mind when buying or making a sculpture,’ she has admitted. ‘But they actually have a lot of humour and make amazing shapes.’ Sophie’s collection of 13 rats will go on show at the Sladmore Gallery in Mayfair from October 1 to 24. Sophie, who is keen to play down her lineage, has created other works such as a judo sculpture for the 2012 Olympics . And you can’t miss the building, as it has five bronze monkeys scaling its walls – another of Sophie’s playful creations. Other previous work has included a judo sculpture for the 2012 Olympics and artwork for the New York sports studios of American broadcaster NBC. But she is keen to downplay her lineage, saying: ‘It is fantastic to be related to such a great writer, but I would never wish to even begin to tread in his huge footsteps.’