Using pliers, wire and a desire to create, eighth-grade metal- and wire-sculptor Ellie Bodor skillfully transforms scrap into sculpture. Fusing seemingly futile fragments into fantastic figures, she intuitively finds backbones from bolts, tails from nails and shoulders from spoons. With a garage full of treasure and a garbage can empty of trash, Bodor finds a purpose for everything, seeing potential art in each forgotten part.
Garnering inspiration from science fiction to Greek mythology, Bodor bends fantasy into reality within the studio that is her upstairs bedroom. Wire-breathing dragons congregate with copper Cthulhus while aliens and predators fall prey to Hydras and Hellboy. Using a doorknob among other nuts and screws, Bodor recently turned heads with a strikingly uncanny reproduction of Big Daddy, a fictional character from the video game BioShock. Admitting to never playing the game, she was simply intrigued by its antique, heavily armored attire. “I start with an idea then look at the metal parts and imagine what they can be,” explains Bodor.
Combining an active imagination with astute dedication, Bodor collected more than a thousand soda tabs over the course of three years, assembling impressive full-body chainmail armor as a summer project. Ellie’s mother, Heidi Bodor, recalls her daughter’s long-standing fascination with the medieval period, remembering her creation of finely detailed castles with crenellation from a young age. “She always loved the idea of making chainmail but the real challenge was that she didn’t drink soda,” says Heidi with a smile. Enlisting the help of family, friends and schoolmates, Ellie meticulously pieced together her prized project, eventually leading the family to a first-place Halloween costume competition victory.
“I’m all about reducing, reusing and recycling,” notes Heidi, “but my kids take it to a whole new level and don’t allow me to throw anything away.” Heidi’s youngest daughter, Karina, already avidly recycling at age 11, creates delicate doll house miniatures from bottle caps, old glue stick lids, paper towel rolls and anything else she can salvage from waste bins. With a passion for home fashion, Karina treads lightly on the environment with her indoor décor. Both sisters are enthusiastic about continuing to develop their talent. Ellie’s sculptures are already gaining local attention, winning blue ribbons at Sarasota art shows. Not expressing any current interest in parting with her pieces, Ellie is keeping an open mind to potential careers and opportunities in the future.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY EVAN SIGMUND
