Meet the professor from Andhra Pradesh who turns scrap into sculptures
Professor Srinivas Padakandla from Vijayawada is turning automobile scrap into beautiful sculptures with his team of helpers.
What seems like scrap for the rest of the world is gold this professor from Vijayawada, who looks at debris very differently.
Srinivas Padakandla, Head of Department, Fine Arts in the University College of Architecture and Planning, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, has been transforming recycled automobile metal scrap into sculptures.
One of Srinivas' sculptures (Image: srinivaspadakandla.com)
“A common man cannot visit sophisticated art galleries in big hotels or exhibition centres, where different kinds of art forms, including metal arts, are showcased. That privilege is mostly available to elite or rich people. The metal sculptures that we make are installed in public parks with the help of respective municipal corporations, for every person right from a kid to the elderly to savour it,” he told The Logical Indian.
Hailing from Maruti Nagar, Vijayawada, Srinivas completed his postgraduation in Fine Arts in Sculpture from Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi in 1998. He worked as a faculty member at Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University in Hyderabad from 2007 to 2010.
He has a team of 15 to 20 members which includes his juniors, sub-juniors and students.
“It doesn’t take many days to turn automobile scrap into a piece of art. A 15-feet model takes only a week’s time. My team members are experts in making attractive models from recycled automobile metal scrap in public places,” Srinivas told The New Indian Express.
Image: The Logical Indian
Srinivas has displayed his sculptures at the All India Stone Carving Camp in 2007 and 2018. He was also a participant in the automobile sculpture workshop at Shilparamam in Kadapa in 2016. Moreover, he also encourages people to design low-cost sculptures from metal scrap available in their areas.
“It gives me immense satisfaction when students and others get inspired by these eco-friendly models as climate change is a serious issue threatening mankind today,” he told The New Indian Express.
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Edited by Anju Narayanan