Fraud is the eighth of nine circles of hell depicted in Dante’s Inferno, which gave lead visualiser, Donatella, plenty of inspiration to work with. But, as this project began in a pre-pandemic world, the Cifas team were able to come the Scriberia Inktank in central London to workshop a few ideas.
During lockdown and, in fact, whenever a client is unable to attend the Inktank in-person, we workshop projects like this virtually (more on that here). But, whether in-person or online, these workshops provide a valuable space for collaboration and, as Donatella puts it, “make the sharing and blossoming of solutions faster and easier”.
With a clear sense of the mural’s content, Donatella dove into the visual world of Dante’s Inferno. The spine of the Geryon, the Monster of Fraud, became the backbone of the mural. This mythological winged beast with the face of “an honest man”, was Dante's metaphor for fraud. Just as the Geryon transports Dante to the Eighth Circle of Hell, our Geryon guides the viewer through the history of fraud, mapping its development from Ancient Greece through to modern-day.
The artwork is quite simply inspirational, educational and captures the concept in the most wonderful way. We are absolutely delighted with the design process and resulting artwork which is painted across one wall in our new training room. The artwork has attracted much positive comment and is a real testimony to Scriberia’s talent for such work.
Michael J Betts, Head of Learning and Counter Fraud Studies at Cifas
Fighting this beast are the illustrious Cifas warriors, armed with data, learning and intelligence, bearing flags depicting the Cifas values. The style, too, is inspired by Dante’s “Inferno”, with strong references to the beautiful Gustave Doré etchings for Dante’s Inferno and the simple and powerful imagery of Ancient Greece.
How could we not refer to the beautiful Gustave Doré etchings for Dante’s Inferno and to the simple and powerful Greek vase imagery?
Donatella Esposito, Scriberia
Gustave Dore’s Geryon from Dante's Inferno
The finished mural sits as a modern fresco of sorts, making the perfect addition to Cifas’ new learning space. “The artwork is quite simply inspirational, educational and captures the concept in the most wonderful way,” explains Michael J Betts, Head of Learning & Counter Fraud Studies at Cifas. “We are absolutely delighted with the design process and resulting artwork, which is painted across one wall in our new training room. The artwork has attracted much positive comment and is a real testimony to Scriberia’s talent for such work.”
To learn more about the new mural, take a look at Cifas’ video below.
