Artist creates detailed sculptures on empty aluminium cans using his thumbs

Aluminium can recycling and upcycling has been given a new dimension by innovative artists, architects and ecycling professionals. Artist Noah Deledda creates Aluminium sculptures that look like they are a work of precise automated machine. However, he creates these by using his thumbs to create dents and creases in the soft can metal. The perfect geometric patterns of these cans look like created by a robotic hand. The Tempa Bay-based artist had to make a video to proof his artistry.

He starts the work by removing the printed layer of the can polishing the surface. Then he creates flawless geometric patterns by making dents and creases into the soft metal. Deledda confirmed that he developed his minute technique over several years.

Noah Deledda wrote on his website, “Crushing, denting and creasing become a method to create design, precision, symmetry and balance. Mind you this process developed over the years through trial and error and lots of practice. It’s important to me that this is all carried out by hand without special tools or extraordinary manipulation. The shaping of the can is a thumb-driven process that cooperates with the form of the cylinder.”

He has perfected various geometric designs over the years. He proved through his art that a generally destructive force like crushing can be creatively pleasing.  Noah said that the most common response to his art is people telling him that they have never seen anything like this before. He found it ironic because it was just crushing and denting in a creative manner.

Noah Deledda created this art to kill his boredom while he was traveling back home from Orlando in the back seat of his car.  He started playing with the empty can of Red Bull and ended up creating a design.

“I had nothing to do, I didn’t have an iPhone to mess around with, so I just started fiddling with this can that had been partially crushed. And I noticed that in a way the dents would allow certain shapes to form, they would allow themselves to be manipulated. At the time I just made a mental note to return to the idea at a later time,” he said.