When Metal Comes Alive (12 Photos)

October 12, 2026

By Vidar

Metal that looks alive

In these twelve photos, bronze, steel, chains, cages and salvaged parts take a pose, carry a song or turn into an animal.

More: Junk Metal Sculptures

🕊️ “Nkyinkyim Installation” — By Kwame Akoto-Bamfo in Montgomery, Alabama, USA 🇺🇸

A woman holds a child while chains link the bronze figures around her. Kwame Akoto-Bamfo’s sculpture about the history of enslavement stands at the entrance to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

💡 History Fact: The Equal Justice Initiative says the sculpture was created at the artist’s studio in Ghana before being installed in Montgomery. Its name comes from an Adinkra symbol and proverb meaning “twisting” or “turning,” according to the artist’s Ancestor Project.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsNkyinkyim InstallationKwame Akoto-Bamfo · 2018 · Montgomery, AlabamaMade in GhanaMother with a babyAt EJI’s memorial1The Equal Justice Initiative says the sculpture was created at the artist’s studio in Ghana and installed on the memorial grounds in Montgomery.EJI2The shackles were reportedly copied from real chains found at Cape Coast Slave Castle in Ghana, according to The Root.The Root201827 MarCommons photo201827 AprArchitectural Record20187 MayThe Root interview201822 MayBurnaway visit20186 JulGetty photo201826 OctCommons photo201929 JanEJI video202015 JulArtillery visit202116 DecFlickr photo20253 MayFlickr photo202512 NovFlickr photoRead the full file →

More: See more photographs from the installation

🔗 Follow Kwame Akoto-Bamfo on Instagram

🐂 “Lemmy” — By ArtFe / Kev Paxton in Scotland, UK 🇬🇧

Heavy agricultural chain becomes the shaggy coat of a Highland cow. You can see every rusty link, but the head, horns and stance still make Lemmy look ready to walk off.

Photo by Robert Michael Wilson.

More: See Lemmy on ArtFe

🔗 Follow ArtFe on Instagram

🎶 “Forgotten Songs” — By Michael Thomas Hill in Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺

Dozens of empty metal cages hang above Angel Place while speakers return lost birdsong to the lane. The artist’s project page counts 180 cages, permanently installed in 2011.

💡 Sound Fact: The City of Sydney says the soundscape uses calls from 50 bird species and changes from daytime birds to nocturnal ones.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsForgotten SongsMichael Thomas Hill · 2009 · Angel Place, Sydney50 bird speciesDay and night birdsongBy George! laneways 20091Dr Richard Major used Australian Museum bird skins collected from about 1850 onwards to list the 50 species heard here.City of Sydney2After the temporary 2009 work was taken down, public outcry reportedly led the City’s art panel to recommend making it permanent.Institute for Public Art200910 OctCity: first shown201111 AprReturn announced201226 MayPanoramio photo, on Commons201221 OctPanoramio photo, on Commons201216 NovArchitectureAU: permanent201327 JunUrban design award20136 JulFlickr photo, on Commons201515 Jan500px photo, on Commons201627 MarCommons photo201629 AugCommons photo20228 SepSecret Sydney202430 DecCommons photoRead the full file →

More: Hear the story behind Sydney’s empty birdcages

🎺 Jazz Lamps

Street furniture turns into a small jazz band: one lamp raises a trumpet, another leans into a saxophone, and the bench becomes a piano.

More: Urban Art Installations That Celebrate Books and Music

🎤 “Sky’s the Limit in the County of Kings” — By Sherwin Banfield in Brooklyn, New York, USA 🇺🇸

Sherwin Banfield’s tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. combines bronze, resin, stainless steel, Winterstone, wood, audio, lighting, and solar power. The mirrored face reflects the sky, and built-in speakers play music. According to the artist’s project page, the nine-foot sculpture stood at Clumber Corner in Dumbo from November 2022 before moving to Cadman Plaza in Downtown Brooklyn in 2023.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsSky’s the Limit in the County of KingsSherwin Banfield · 2022 · Brooklyn, New YorkNine feet tallSolar-powered speakersBronze and stainless steel1A grant from the Downtown Brooklyn + Dumbo Art Fund made the sculpture possible, according to Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.Downtown Brooklyn Partnership2In February 2024 it moved to the Billie Holiday Theatre in Bed-Stuy, Biggie’s home neighbourhood, according to the New York Daily News.New York Daily News20227 DecUnveiled in Dumbo20227 DecArtist’s photos20232 AugUnveiled in Columbus Park20239 AugBrooklyn Downtown Star report202415 FebDaily News: in Bed-Stuy202415 FebCassius Life: unveiled at the theatreRead the full file →

More: See the full Biggie tribute

🔗 Follow Sherwin Banfield on Instagram

💃 “Venetian Belle” — By Philip Jackson in the UK 🇬🇧

A narrow, faceless figure stands among the plants under a sharply folded headdress. A row of small gold buttons runs down the front of her gown.

💡 Artist Fact: Jackson trained at the Farnham School of Art, and his official biography says his gallery works are inspired by “the melancholic beauty of historic Venice.”

More: Haunting Sculptures by Philip Jackson

🔗 Follow Philip Jackson on Instagram

🌲 “Tiepolo’s Model” — By Philip Jackson in the UK 🇬🇧

A faceless figure reclines among trees under an angular headdress. The bronze gown is heavily textured.

💡 Nerd Fact: Outside the gallery, Jackson made the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, the national monument to the Queen Mother on The Mall, and the Bobby Moore figure for Wembley Stadium. He was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 2009, according to his Royal Society of Sculptors profile.

More: See more of Philip Jackson’s figures

⛓️ “Nkyinkyim Installation,” Second Scene — By Kwame Akoto-Bamfo in Montgomery, Alabama, USA 🇺🇸

This second scene from the same installation centers on another chained figure gripping a round weight. The strain shows in the shoulders, face and hands.

More: See the complete SAU photo set

😔 “Sad Together” — With “The Thinker” by Jesse Beesley in Covina, California, USA 🇺🇸

A child copies the bronze boy’s pose, head in hand. The Smithsonian identifies the sculpture as Jesse Beesley’s circa-1969 The Thinker, cast by Excalibur Bronze Sculpture Foundry.

More: People Made Statues Look Funny

🧜‍♀️ Wire Mermaid — By Martin Debenham

Martin Debenham’s stainless-steel wires follow the curve of a mermaid’s back and flow into a long tail. The figure sits on a boulder beside the water, with gaps between the wires letting the garden show through.

More: Artworks That Seem to Grow From Nature

💡 “LOVE” — By Alexander Milov at Burning Man 2015, USA 🇺🇸

Two wire-frame adults sit back-to-back. Inside them, illuminated children reach toward each other through the metal. Alexander Milov’s LOVE appeared at Burning Man in 2015; the adults’ turned backs and the children’s outstretched hands tell different stories.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsLOVEAlexander Milov · 2015 · Vál, HungaryBurning Man 2015In Vál since 2017Full-size copy in Odesa1Made for Burning Man 2015; according to Colossal, the first time in 30 years Ukraine received a festival grant to produce work.Colossal2Milov says a Hungarian winemaker bought the sculpture; it was brought to Hungary in August 2017 and opened on 1 September.Alexander Milov201516 SepColossal: at Burning Man20171 SepInstalled in Vál20266 MayWinery page published202622 SepWinery page updatedRead the full file →

More: See more of Alexander Milov’s LOVE

💚 “Lampioni Innamorati” — By Rodolfo Marasciuolo in Turin, Italy 🇮🇹

Two green lamp figures sit on a bench in Parco del Valentino, one leaning toward the other. Their bent bases look like seated legs, while a small metal cat stretches beside them. Rodolfo Marasciuolo, a gardener for the city, made the pair from reclaimed materials.

💡 Material Fact: In an interview about the work, Marasciuolo explained that the lamp posts began as irrigation pipes, with a pot and a pan at their bases.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsLampioni InnamoratiRodolfo Marasciuolo · Parco del Valentino, TurinTwo lamp posts on a benchMade by a city gardenerBuilt from scrap materials1Marasciuolo first made a single lamp post, then added a companion because it looked so sad on its own.Corriere Torino2He told TPNews the bench was his first work shown in Turin, in the Giardino Roccioso, about ten years before 2022.TPNews201614 SepUltima Voce report20219 AugTorino Top News202217 JanGuidaTorino20226 MayTPNews interview202414 FebCorriere Torino202412 JunRadio Viva FM20246 SepTorinoToday202625 JanTorino CronacaRead the full file →