A seahorse facing Thoothukudi seashore stands tall at the Roche Park as various marine fauna have been sculpted. Made out of scrap metal, these sculptures have given a new meaning to the residents.
Artisans are giving final touches to these sculptures at the park, which will house a collection of 15 sculptures, according to Corporation Commissioner Alby John Varghese.
Sea creatures such as fish, shark, blue whale, seahorse, crab, dolphin, tortoise, crocodile, octopus, ‘a man sailing on a boat,’ ‘Thoothukudi district logo – pearl shell,’ and a mermaid, are all set to give a visual treat to visitors. Even before the official unveiling of the sculptures, local people can be seen taking ‘selfies’ standing in front of these beautiful work.
The Commissioner said that a comprehensive renovation would be carried out at the Roche Park within six months. A fortnight ago, a national-level workshop on scrap sculpture was convened at the park here when this project was awarded to a team of artisans from Andhra Pradesh.
A sculptor from Vijayawada, Srinivas Padakandla, who is also the programme convener, said scrap metal such as wheel chains, engine bearing, rods, wheels, shock absorbers, fuel tanks, clutch plates and spring materials were being used in shaping out these sculptures.
Artisans from Hyderabad, Vishakapatnam, Baroda, Vijayawada and Chennai are involved in the project. “Around 13 tonnes of scrap metal are being used for this project,” said Padakandla, a teaching faculty from College of Architecture, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, said.
Apart from Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli, the required amount of scrap metal was procured from Madurai. A tonne of scrap costs ₹33,000 approximately.
The sculptures are being painted using sap green colour with copper and gold highlights. Next to Madurai and Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi is the third district in Tamil Nadu to showcase this art.
