Thai Artist Recycles Trash into Treasures

              

From custom built motorcycles to statues of Yoda, Rungroja Saengwongpaisarn, is building works of art using scrap metal from Bangkok's garbage heaps.              

 

[Rungroja Saengwongpaisarn, Factory Owner & Sculptor]:     

"It's used metal that was discarded. We are giving the material a new life by using it to create art." 

 

Where some see junk, Rungroja sees raw material. 

             

Each day he and his team salvage discarded car parts and household items that are then reused to craft statues, models and even robots. 

             

A one time wood carver, Rungroja began working with metal in 1996 at the request of a patron. 

 

Soon enough he fused his passion for conservation with his art and created a distinctive style.  

            

Recycling has paid off for the sculptor, whose gallery is filled with works ranging in price from $60 to $40 thousand (USD). 

 

He points out, however, that finding parts that match his vision for a piece can be challenging. 

             

[Rungroja Saengwongpaisarn, Factory Owner & Sculptor]:             

"The difficult thing is to make the scale of each model, like this one (motorcycle), the face of this model is quite meticulous. We used junk parts to make this motorcycle. Different models will require different types of details."

              

His latest work, a motorcycle dubbed "Pre-Alien," can hit speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour.              

 

Not bad for a pile of junk.