A 13-feet-tall replica of a vintage gramophone gleaming with a coat of rain-proof paint is already a show stopper at Ukkadam Periyakulam or Coimbatore Big Tank. Artist Ramkumar Kannadasan along with his team, including artists R Yesvandaran and S Sarathkumar have been working with old street light poles, iron pipes, steel sheets, broken pieces of furniture, and parts of abandoned vehicles from government offices, for over 20 days turning scrap into jaw-dropping art installations.
“It’s a starting point for art appreciation in the city,” says Ramkumar, a sculptor based in Chennai adding that the sculptures make visitors spare a thought on how to cut down on waste sent to the landfill. Ramkumar, who works with drawings, stones, ceramic and terracota, is known for his work at Seven Wonders Park in Delhi where scrap, from typewriters, grass cutters, drums, cycle rims, poles, iron bars, and spare car parts, were used to make masterpieces like replicas of the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, to name a few. “Most factories generate tonnes of metal scrap. If they rope in artists, this can be used creatively to beautify office or public spaces,” explains Ramkumar.
Currently, five giant sculptures made out of scrap including the gramophone, a rotary telephone set, a hand pump and a car vie for attention at Periyakulam. “We drew up a list of forgotten items and recreated them to stir in a sense of nostalgia,” says Corporation Commissioner Prathap IAS. Talking about the beautification initiatives undertaken in the city as part of ‘Ezhilmigu Kovai’ programme launched by the Government of Tamil Nadu, Prathap says they also added a replica of a vintage car to pay homage to the city’s role and contribution to automobile revolution. “The city generates a lot of e-waste and abstract statues can be made of used keyboards, floppy discs, pen drives and laptop adaptors. When I saw artist Ramkumar’s work at waste to wealth park in Delhi, I immediately wanted to create something similar that resonates with our city,” adds Prathap.
As for the sculptures, the artists used over five tonnes of scrap metals, other objects, as well as e-waste. Decorative lighting will be added at the lakefront and there will be landscaping too. Beautification of public spaces is an ongoing work, says Prathap. “We wanted to make it a vibrant selfie point as well drive home the message on the quantum of waste that is generated in the city every day, which is 1200 tonnes. While 500 tonnes goes into the land fill, the remaining is repurposed. For every installation over one tonne of scrap was put to use. A layer of paint is added to camouflage rusts. Every single installation will be accompanied by a display board that gives details on scrap items used while making the sculpture.”
Recently, as a part of Smart City Programme, the Coimbatore Corporation in a joint venture with the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) introduced boating at Valankulam, the water body, which is now a recreation spot where people can go boating in pedal boats, rowing and cycling boats, and soak up green views. On World Earth Day (April 22) Coimbatore corporation and phase4 architects created a wave art installation in Ukkadam Periyakulam with tonnes of plastic bottles collected from the foothills of Coimbatore. The wave pattern of the art work resembling a wave pattern represented the destructive impact of plastic on natural asset and created awareness on cutting down plastic consumption.
“We also added a dash of colour to arterial bridges at Gandhipuram, Avanashi Road and Vadakovai. The pillars at the flyovers the blank spaces at the underpass are now dotted with paintings that showcase our cultural heritage, as well as those themed on Nature and abstract forms. Artists have also dabbled with space revolution of India in one of the paintings,” explains Prathap.
He wants to rope in youth to do graffiti on some of the arterial spaces in the city. “Beautifying Coimbatore is also about creating good infrastructure, good roads, multi-level parking spaces, to name a few. A science park is being designed in Tatabad where children can learn concepts like inertia with displays there. Marathons, nature walks and cycling events are being planned aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle,” he says adding, “The main objective is that the beautification drives should bring in a sense of responsibility among the public. They should keep the city clean, just like their home.”
