French artist Edouard Martinet creates remarkably true-to-life birds, fish, insects, and other creatures using only screwed-together scrap metal rescued from discarded bicycles, cars, and household objects.

“What sets Martinet’s work apart is the brilliant formal clarity of his sculptures, and their extraordinary elegance of articulation. His degree of virtuosity is unique: he does not solder or weld parts. His sculptures are screwed together. This gives his forms an extra level of visual richness – but not in a way that merely conveys the dry precision of, say, a watchmaker. There is an X-Factor here, a graceful wit, a re-imagining of the obvious in which a beautifully finished object glows not with perfection, but with character, with new life.” -Sladmore Contemporary

Okay, what sets that paragraph apart is that it’s maybe the clunkiest I’ve ever  posted, but it’s pretty cool that he doesn’t solder or weld his assemblages. The artist has a really remarkable eye for finding just the right bit of scrap to suit his purpose. These are maybe the best, most natural-looking assemblages I’ve ever seen. Martinet has an amazing understanding of the anatomy of the creatures he’s recreating. Everything seems to fit so perfectly.

The video below the pictures is pretty amazing. The man is a real wizard at his craft. Oh, and make sure you check out his agency’s website where he lists the origins of the parts used for each of these gloriously creative sculptures. Some of the materials will really surprise you!