Ford Fiesta becomes working-class Transformer

Artist Hetain Patel turns a Ford Fiesta hatchback into a Transformer sculpture that's a little less flashy than all the other Autobots.

The good-guy Transformers tend to take the shape of hot cars like Lamborghinis, Porsches, and Chevrolet Corvettes. Artist Hetain Patel went in a different direction by turning a little Ford Fiesta hatchback into a Transformers monument.

While Transformers on the big screen can turn into humanoid figures in a matter of seconds, it took a bit longer to create the Fiesta sculpture. Patel started with a red 1988 Fiesta that had seen better days. He was inspired to use a Fiesta because it was the first car he ever owned, a gift from his father. His father, a mechanic who converts cars into hearses, worked with him on the creation.
"For me, these 'robots in disguise' (as per the cartoon's theme tune) stand as a metaphor for the other, in a fantasy world where they can transform out of a marginal position into one of empowerment," writes Patel in an artist's statement.

Patel and his father's efforts are captured in a video that traces the project as it develops over time. The result is recognizable as both a working-class car and a squatting Transformers figure.

This may lead you to wonder why it's squatting, rather than standing up, poised for action. The answer can be found in Patel's cultural background: "This posture is a recurring image in my work and forges a link between the lower classes in India and my immigrant family in the U.K, both of whom sit comfortably this way. Naturally this introduces a tension in this sculpture between the seemingly submissive nature of the squat and in this case, it's oddly larger than life scale," he writes.