A fighter jet seems ready for take off. Nearby, a thirsty crow gloomily stares into a pot. At the far end a flashy motorbike is parked...The exhibition hall in InKo Centre showcases 15 diverse sculptures; they’ve got a part Lego-part robotic vibe about them. But the only common thread is they’ve all been made from scrap right from scratch.
Created by employees of the Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), this is part of a competition organised by the vehicle manufacturing company for its staffers at their factory in Sriperumbudur. “Every year, since 1998, during Ayudhya Puja the company throws open a contest where the employees create floats from scrap and the best one wins. This event is a way of taking their talent to a larger audience,” says Stephen Sudhakar, Senior Vice President HR- HMIL.
It took them almost a month to create these sculptures. There are car sheet rolls, chain sprockets, aluminium castings,washers, checker plates and other unidentifiable objects that perhaps lie within the recesses of most cars’ bonnets. One of the most complex looking exhibit is a regal black horse created by Jerome Rajkumar. Its made using 60-70 scrap parts and is also one of the winners. “I chose horse because it symbolic of speed and power. Modern day engines are also measured in horse power, so this seemed an apt choice for this competition,” says Rajkumar. Welding all these parts together was the toughest part of the process for him.
A vibrant red goods train also used up as many components. Another winning entry, it was created by a team of five. “This is a great forum to express our creativity. Our biggest learning was how one can convert even scrap materials to such unique decorative items. It was also a great team-building activity,” says Suresh N, one of the team members.
The exhibition is on till September 3 at InKo Centre, between 10 am and 6 pm.
