Hubcap scultpures from Ptolemy Elrington takes inspiration from nature to a whole new characterful level
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Scuffed alloys. They’re amongst the most swear-inducing things the motoring world has to offer. Artist Ptolemy Elrington though has taken the concept of knackered hubcaps to another level…by creating animals out of them. And no, we not talking about bunny rabbits and fluffy kittens here…
Don’t let that rather exotic name fool you. Ptolemy was actually born in the South of England and grew up further ‘oop North in Bradford. Time was spent refining that artistic eye with stage design and theatre set construction, but creeping further into the limelight means Ptolemy today concentrates more heavily on his own projects as of late. Each sculpture takes weeks to build and prep, though each is constructed from recycled materials like scrap metal, shopping trolleys and – specifically – old hubcaps. Inspiration for each is taken straight from nature.
As you can see, years spent on these models offer prospective customers quite a significant amount of choice. There’s the ‘Archerfish’ for example, retailing for $1500 and fashioned from Volkswagen and Ford surplus. The $2500 ‘Parrot’ which, with wings aloft, stands a lofty 2.4m high. Plus, the ‘Viperfish’, one of Ptolemy’s earlier pieces plucked straight from the fevered nightmares of Clive Barker and the guys who directed Mortal Kombat.
Probably our favourite though is the oddly named ‘Eagle Owl’, fashioned from old BMW and Suzuki hubcaps. It’s not only magnificently detailed and intricate (and I’m not just talking about the $5000 price tag), it’s also creepy as all hell. Whether or not you’d want one gracing your living room or garden of course is another matter…
*Shots courtesy of Hubcap Creatures
