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.
