Five realistic sculptures carved from recycled materials

We normally throw useless things in the garbage bin thinking that they should be dumped in some corner of the world but there are some artists who do not think like majority of us. These artists use their creativity to come up with sculptures using recycled materials. The best part about these realistic sculptures is that they have unique design and they can be used as a decorative item in your living room.

WEEE Man

Here is the list of five realistic sculptures carved from recycled materials.

Robert Bradford

1. Humans and animals by Robert Bradford

UK based artist Robert Bradford has created several realistic sculptures of humans and animals using useless plastic items on wood. Bradford normally creates toys which are very colorful. He has also created some other items including combs, brushes, buttons, etc. using discarded plastic. Some of the sculptures designed by him contain over 3,000 toys and are priced at £12,000. Bradford says that the idea to create sculptures using discarded materials hit his mind in 2002 when he thought that he can use the discarded toys of his kids to come up with something productive. Bradford is a well-known face now and he exhibits his creations at different art galleries in London and Paris. He had also exhibited his beautiful artworks at the Fresh Air biennial sculpture exhibition in 2009. Bradford is pretty popular among the pet owners who contact him to get designed a toy version of their favorite pets.

Scrap Mammoth

2. Scrap Monitor Mammoth

Anthony Haywood’s "Broken Family" is an elephant created using discarded TVs and other household waste. Haywood has made this unforgettable for an annual event in Sydney, Australia. The event named Sculptures by the Sea traverses Bondi to Tamarama coastline. The event saw participation from artists of more than 18 countries. Over 100 sculptures were showcased at the event billed as the largest annual outdoor public exhibition in Australia. Haywood, a British artist, has used about 80 televisions and computer screens to come up with this masterpiece. Haywood said that he got inspiration to create the elephant while watching a documentary on the senseless killing going around the world for the tusk of the elephants. Haywood added that he wanted to use this medium to aware the world about this dangerous practice. Haywood has shown through his sheer brilliance that even dumped materials can be used in a creative manner to pass sincere message. Kudos to you Mr. Haywood.

3. Wave of Recorded Waste

Sound Wave

Korean artist Jean Shin deserves credit for creating wave of recorded waste surreal surf sculpture. Created in 2007, the "Sound Wave" is made up of melted vinyl records. This realistic sculpture sends a message that the advancement of technology renders each successive generation useless. Shin’s sculpture is exhibited at The Museum of Art and Design. This sculpture is on exhibit at "Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary." Shin has used thousands of 78 rpm records and then melted them to form the beautiful sculpture on a wooden frame. The Sound Wave formed by Shin is dotted with bursts of colorful labels. Shin was born in 1971 in Seoul, South Korea. She lives and works in New York City. The Sound Wave was also exhibited in 2009 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington.

WEEE Man

4. WEEE Man Sculpture of Recycled Monstrosity

Built by the British Royal Society of Arts, the WEEE Man is a seven meters tall sculpture. This sculpture weighing three metric tons stands at Cornwall’s Eden Project. Built of rejected electronic components and household appliances, the WEEE Man symbolizes that how much harm we are causing the environment by adding to the waste materials that are harmful for the environment. The WEEE Man was unveiled at the South Bank in London. The WEEE in WEEE man stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. The WEEE Man was unveiled in 2005 as part of a government’s drive to raise awareness among people to save the environment.

“To Live”

5. Nick Sayers’ “To Live”

The “To Live” designed and created by artist Nick Sayers is a shelter made up of scrap real estate signs. Sayers claim that he has designed “To Live” to send message about homelessness and the importance of following the practice of sustainable building in daily life. This beautiful piece of art has been created only recycled material. “To Live” was put on display until January 2009 at The Lightbox in Woking, Surrey, UK. To Live” is without doubt a realistic sculpture which sends a powerful message as well.