ISLAMABAD: Sparks fly and metal groans in a cavernous workshop on the outskirts of Islamabad, where Pakistani artist Ehtisham Jadoon fuses abandoned car parts into colossal pieces inspired by “Transformers” movies and dinosaurs.
The 35-year-old sculptor’s workshop is full of cogs, chains, hubcaps and engine parts as his towering creations – a lion with a twisted steel mane, a giant Tyrannosaurus rex and a towering Optimus Prime – take shape.
“I have always been fascinated by metal objects,” said Jadoon AFP after assembling the 4-meter (14-foot) “Transformers” character, his largest creation to date.
“When I see scrap metals, I imagine the shapes they could be used in.”
It took months of welding and bending for Jadoon and his team to shape his Optimus Prime, with more than 90 percent of the parts coming from discarded vehicle parts.
The arms are forged from motorcycle springs and gears, his shoulders are curved from car rims, the spine is cast from a fuel tank, and his knees are pieced together with chains and suspension parts.
Even his piercing eyes are made from vehicle bearings, completing a sculpt that is both intricate and impressive.
“Every time I see an object, I visualize a shape,” Jadoon said.
“I could imagine a block turning into a shape, so I just solve the puzzle and bring it to life.”
“Waste becomes valuable”
Jadoon, a former martial artist who worked in the steel manufacturing industry, never formally studied the art. He designs his gargantuan models spontaneously while working.
He said AFP he has to see a doctor almost every week because of sparkles in his eyes and burns on his hands and arms, but he insists it’s the only job he can channel the energy from his fighter training into.
Jadoon’s work primarily focuses on the creation of giants, beasts and powerful forms, which he describes as a reflection of aggression.
“Defining anatomy and proportions requires viewing from multiple angles and repeated adjustments,” he said.
Every week, Jadoon visits Islamabad’s scrapyards, sifting through tons of discarded metal in search of pieces that register in his imagination and then become sculptures.
“What is trash to us has become something valuable in his hands,” said Bostan Khan, owner of the scrapyard. AFP.
“It’s incredible to see.”
