Tag Archives: Welding

Since the inclusion of found industrial objects in the modern art movements, cars and car parts have  been used more and more as a source of inspiration and media in art. Recently, environmental awareness in the United States has pressed for recycling programs and rethinking on how to use the resources we already have. This has led to several artists rethinking old car parts as sculptural materials.

Car parts made their debut onto the world art scene in 1982 is Arman’s sculpture “Long Term-Parking” in which 60 automobiles were stacked on top of each other in cement.      

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Old car parts can readily be donated to junk yards and are ready available to be purchased. The primary source and market in junk actually is used car parts. Companies, such as Cash for Junk Cars, could be a primary resource for selling or buying old car parts. Inevitably though, not all parts can be salvaged and thus become less expensive. Artists, probably with some welding experience, then step in and create a market for these parts and create truly wonderful objects with them. Fascinating and complex car part art has sprung up in recent years:

Terrence Willment created a replica of the menacing alien from the 1979 blockbuster starring Sigourney Weaver: Alien. This was made completely of used car parts.

Alien by Terrence Willement

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Note the amazing detail and resemblance!

Photo from Alien (1979)

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Many artists have taken to creating animal forms with car parts. The contours of some car parks are excellent in showing the strength of some animal ligaments, while the texture of the metal invokes the scales and skin of others animals.

James Corbett take car parts of vehicles made in the 60′s and 70′s to create innovative sculptures that have a steampunk feel to them.

James Corbett’s dog sculpturebinscorner.com

James Corbett’s Wild Boar sculpturebinscorner.com

Some artists use old car parts not because they are readily available but as an overall statement that old parts should be used and repurposed if possible if they do exist. Bettye Hamblen has created a series of sculptures specifically using recycled car and motorcycle parts. That is what this Texas Longhorn Bull, named Palladin, is made from. It was created using both hot and cold bending methods and the artist implemented different methods of welding which allow some parts of the sculpture to change color over time while other parts remain the same. 

Bettye Hamblen’s Palladin1800recycling.com

These artists give cars a new life when they reincarnate their parts into art. At the very least, its good karma!