Waste motorcycle carburetors can be turned into steam train-like humidifiers; rusty waste oil barrels can be made into chic red wine cabinets; and old tree roots that no one cares about can also be transformed into retro table lamps with full charm. There are also bookshelves converted from agricultural board cars, table tables converted from door panels, and coffee table bottoms made of old locomotives... In the hands of Wu Yangde, a young man after the 80s, these "works of art" made from "waste products" with a thick metallic texture have been created one after another.
It all comes from interest. Born in 1987, Wu Yangde's hometown is in Anhui, and when he was 13 years old, he came to Shanghai with his brother, had no relatives and no friends, and could only make a living by picking up waste. At the age of 15, he helped people watch bicycles on the Cao'an Highway, and saw the motorcycle team speeding by for the first time. Twenty or thirty speeding locomotives ignited the little boy's interest, and soon he found a job in an electric car factory, while working as an assembler, while teaching himself the skills of car repair, and dealing with various metal parts every day.
By 2014, Wu Yangde had opened his own car repair shop, and in his eyes, a screw, a car chain, a piece of tin, these waste products in the eyes of others, all contain infinite possibilities, which have also become his creative inspiration. With a rich imagination and super hands-on ability, he became obsessed with transforming waste items into crafts, giving "waste products" new life.
Today, Wu Yangde has gained unprecedented attention and has also been labeled by the media as "environmental artist", "steampunk", "hardcore youth" and so on. But he said that his original intentions changed, and he still ran his own small car repair shop, while indulging in the obsession with machinery and the transformation of old things.
Perhaps it is precisely because he has been drenched in rain and tasted the difficulties of life, so Wu Yangde always thinks that he can also hold up an umbrella for others. Now there is an apprentice in his shop, He Xiaohai, who is a special group of intellectuals. When he first opened the store, he saw the small sea that turned over the garbage cans, and he remembered that he used to make a living by picking up garbage. So he decided to take this special apprentice and teach him a skill. Although Xiaohai's learning path is several times more difficult than others, under the patient guidance of the master, Xiaohai's technology has now grown quite well, and customers will affectionately call him "Xiaohai Master".
Although he was not able to receive a higher education in the ivory tower, those bumpy encounters in life taught Wu Yangde more profoundly than the ivory tower how to be a truly meaningful person. His works convey his attitude towards life and the world, and are also like a mirror, reflecting the ups and downs of his own journey, and also reflecting thousands of ordinary people who have dreams and love like him.
Keyframes:
In the gutter
Don't forget to look up at the stars at all times
Change your destiny
Love can withstand the long years
Text: Ding Zhenyan
Pay attention to the shooting circle