Where do old cars go to die? In a scrap-yard? Not for Jaipur-based car restorer Himanshu Jangid, who turns car parts into pieces of furniture. The initiative is a part of Cartist — a 5-year-old automobile car art platform that ‘brings together artists of various genres and styles’. The team converted a Mercedes Benz and a Nissan RD 280 engine into furniture.
But art is not the only motive behind turning car parts into furniture. Cartist says it recognizes the threat of climate change and upcycles truck parts into furniture for sustainable living.
Jangid told TNM, “We turn 90% of the cars into usable furniture. The chassis into beds, the car doors into dining tables, the suspension arms into a centrepiece and the radiator assembly of the vehicle again into a showpiece. We have even turned the piston into watches and the engine and rear door assembly into tables.”
Started in 2015, Cartist hosts car festivals that feature cars painted in various designs called Cartist Yatra. Though Jangid doesn’t restore the cars himself, he employs a team of over 20 artists who travel all over India as well as create sculptures out of car parts.
Jangid told InUth, “We came up with this idea of promoting art through cars…We have been able to not just spread the message of love, peace and unity but have also been able to include the local talents and youths into this agenda of ours – uniting India through art and cars.”
The 2019 edition of Cartist Yatra travelled through Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Indore, Goa, Bengaluru, Vishakhapatnam, Bhubhaneshwar, Kolkata, Lucknow and Gurugram.
