From scrap to sculpture

In pictures: Monkey god takes shape

Suffering for your art is exactly what a young sculptor is doing for his latest commission.

Living close to nature in a remote part of the Somerset countryside, Sam Jeffs is making a Balinese monkey god out of scrap metal parts from a derelict mill.

The graduate from Somerset College of Arts and Technology has already made an impact on the London arts scene.

A six foot metal minotaur based on his college work was sold to a private London collector for £4,000 in 2008.

After his work was displayed at an arts exhibition in Milverton in October 2008, he was asked to make another sculpture for businessman Tony Lawson from Wiveliscombe.

"I wondered into the local restaurant in Wiveliscombe and noticed his minotaur in the garden. I rather liked it and I thought I would make an offer for it, but it had been sold.

Sam's inspiration for his new sculpture

"I found out that he was a local person, and because of my work with the Princes Trust as a mentor for some start-up businesses, I thought I would support a local artist.

"I had the idea he could make something original with a statue I collected on my travels in the far east which was a Balinese monkey god, which I subsequently found out was called Sugriva."

The Princes Trust is a charity which helps young people learn with their workplace skills through education and training.

'Ward off evil spirits'

Tony gave him a couple of rusty sluice gates from his mill which dates back to the 1460's.

Together with scrap car metal parts they will be used to make the piece.

"It will look quite good in the garden, (once it's installed) you can see it from the foot of the garden and it'll be good. I'm hoping it will ward off evil spirits. It might be a bit scary."

At the moment Sam is working on a series of buddha models to inspire his main project of the monkey god.

I've decided on a position for it. I'm going to base the rib cage on a monkey skeleton and the head is going to be more dragon influenced. (I'm figuring out how to) build it structurally and work out how to take it apart so it can be moved."

Sam has got four months to finish it but he is hoping to complete it in two months' time.

The money will go towards financing an art course he will be attending this September at a university in Barcelona

"I have got a place at Metaphora. I am hoping to learn some new techniques and get some new influences and inspiration, new people, different styles."