Pakistani sculptor turns scrap into colossal metal artworks

Islamabad, Pakistan: Sparks fly and metal groans in a cavernous workshop on the outskirts of Islamabad, where Pakistani artist Ehtisham Jadoon fuses d...

Islamabad, Pakistan: Sparks fly and metal groans in a cavernous workshop on the outskirts of Islamabad, where Pakistani artist Ehtisham Jadoon fuses discarded car parts into colossal pieces inspired by "Transformers" movies and dinosaurs.

The 35-year-old sculptor's studio brims with cogs, chains, hubcaps and engine parts as his hulking creations -- a lion with a mane of twisted steel, a giant Tyrannosaurus rex and a towering Optimus Prime -- take shape.This photograph shows sculptor Ehtisham Jadoon posing with his creation made from scrap metal, a lion with a mane of twisted steel, at his studio on the outskirts of Islamabad. (Photo by Farooq Naeem / AFP)

"I have always been fascinated by metal objects," Jadoon told AFP after assembling the 14-foot (4-metre) "Transformers" character, his biggest creation yet.

"When I see metals in scrap, I imagine forms in which it could be utilised."

It took Jadoon and his team months of welding and warping to fashion his Optimus Prime, with over 90 percent of its parts sourced from discarded vehicle pieces.