Creating Magic out of Metal
Deval Verma, Founder & Director at Wheelsmith Studio Pvt. Ltd., is a metal artist and TEDx speaker from Indore who has been breaking all the stereotypes for 8 years. Deval continues to innovate with the objective of ‘taking trash, making treasure’. He transforms metal scrap into pieces of art that are inexplicably winsome. A mechanical engineer and a product designer, he fuses the ideology of design and art to create highly customized products and artifacts.
Deval's Work
Deval takes The Independent World's QnA.
Q1. Tell us about your journey. How did you get drawn towards creating art using metal scrap?
It started as a childhood hobby. I used to create tiny motorcycles using household junk. Mechanical Engineering introduced me to metal fabrication techniques. I learnt how to be hands on with welding, cutting and grinding and took my childhood passion of turning trash into treasure to another level. Inspired by the versatility of metal and the work of metal artists across the globe who combined engineering with art, I found personal satisfaction in transforming raw metal into creative forms.
Q2. What is your process? Do you create a prototype first? How do you make these pieces of art and get this kind of anatomy and superb finish?
The process starts with a detailed study of the form that has to be made, in terms of proportions, anatomy and complexity involved in the shapes. Then I create drawings which are mainly hand sketched and further digitise them using software. To create a sculpture out of the sketch, multiple metal fabrication techniques are then applied keeping in mind the right proportions and anatomy of the work.
Q3. From where do you source the material?
We source our material from scrapyards, factories, garages and places where one can’t even think of going. It is one of the most challenging part of our job.
Q4. How was your experience of working with brands like BMW? And how do you typically land projects like these with international brands?
Overwhelming! The working was quite smooth as they understand the process of art and value your time and talent. Projects like these usually come to you through word of mouth and social media, but to reach that kind of word of mouth or to attract such brands, you need to work really hard on your skills and be consistent with what you create.
Q5. If artists want to pursue metal scrap art, where can they get the right kind of training?
The training starts right at your home. Start visualising differently and the process will follow.
Q6. How many years did it take you to master this?
I have been working with scrap metal as a medium since I was in school. I am still in the learning process and I don’t believe you can master any artform.