Creating art with old CDs (photos)
CDs might not be worth much to you anymore, but for Australian artist Sean Avery, they are a treasure. Find out why here.
Big purple bird
Sean Avery is a children's book author and illustrator from Perth, Australia, but in his spare time, he creates animal sculptures using old CDs and computer parts. This big purple bird was a commissioned piece for the Scitech museum in Perth.
Bear
Avery told Crave he enjoys using old tech as a medium because there's a ton of it around and it looks cool. He said turning "crap into something interesting" is an added bonus.
Hummingbird
Avery gathers material from office buildings, where he finds thrown-out CDs and old computer parts. Many times, however, friends and family just bring him used stuff.
Owl
Once he has the CDs, Avery uses a pair of kitchen scissors to cut up the discs. Then he organizes the shards into containers by size, shape, and color. He says he has more than 15 different colors in his workspace right now.
Bat
The first thing Avery does when starting a sculpture is to build a wire mesh frame to form the base. He then uses a hot glue gun to attach the CD pieces.
Falcon
Avery only does animal structures. He tells Crave, "Animals are awesome! That, and the CD shard technique suits animals better than any other subject matter."
Blue wrens
These blue wrens were another commissioned piece by the Scitech museum.
Rat
Avery said a medium-size piece usually takes around a week to complete and requires about 75 CD pieces.
Spoonbill
The most pieces he's every used for a sculpture is 300. However, Avery is currently working on a "massive" dragon sculpture for Ripley's Believe It or Not, so we think it's safe to say he'll beat that number.
Rhino
Avery also makes art out of old circuit boards.
Squid
Meet Squidy. Avery said if he had the time, he'd love to create a sculpture of Jolteon from the Pokemon series.
Thorny devil
This thorny devil lizard was commissioned by Woodside Oil and Gas in Australia.
More Galleries
My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?