The last time you held a compact disc, you probably noticed the way that waves of light, diffracted from the CD's surface, can give rise to transient shifts in color that draw from the entire visible spectrum. But odds are you've never seen the spectroscopic properties of CDs presented quite like this.


Featured here is a collection of unique sculptures created by artist Sean Avery, who relies on a variety of media to portray animals — from bears, to birds, to the Loch Ness Monster — in a conceptually simple but visually arresting way. The pieces you see here incorporate an assortment of repurposed media, but we were most impressed with his use of CD fragments to recreate fur, plumage, and scales (though, I must admit, I'm particularly fond of the circuit board rhino).

Writes Avery:

My sculptures are all constructed with recycled materials - old CDs, computer hard drives etc, so I classify my work as "sustainable art". They're a lot of fun to make, but they take an extremely long time to finish, so I don't do a lot of them.


What sculptures he has created, however, are pretty incredible. We picked out a few of our favorites, but you'll find a lot more over on DeviantArt and Avery's website.

"Rhino"


"Bear"




"Peregrine Falcon"




"Nessy"




"Owl"




"Spoonbill"




"The Hanging Gardens"

[Spotted on COLOSSAL]