About NYC FunkArt

Michael Redpath is a New York–based artist and retired FDNY lieutenant whose current work transforms salvaged American automotive hubcaps and industrial metal fragments into illuminated sculpture and lighting installations — creating chandeliers, floor lamps, pendant fixtures, sconces, and large-scale installations.

Before dedicating himself fully to lighting and functional art, Redpath developed an earlier body of work under NYC FunkArt, where he reimagined furniture as sculptural depictions of New York City — hand-built pieces inspired by iconic architecture, subway systems, bridges, and the visual rhythm of the urban environment. His interest in transforming familiar industrial forms into functional art objects continues to inform his current body of work.

Redpath’s FDNY experience, shaped by urgency, physical problem-solving, and material awareness, continues to influence his approach to construction and fabrication. His work reflects a deeply hands-on relationship with materials, where structure, resilience, and transformation are core elements.

Artist Statement

I take vintage American hubcaps and turn them into glowing, sci-fi objects.

Pulled from 1950s and 1960s cars—machines built for speed and highways — I cut, rework, and wire them into chandeliers, pendants, sconces, and large-scale installations. They land somewhere between UFOs, engine parts, and relics from an imagined future.

I’m drawn to the overlap of worlds: roadside Americana, surf culture, New York City grit, mid-century sci-fi. Chrome that once flashed past at 60 miles an hour now hangs still, lit from within. The work sits in that tension: motion vs. suspension, past vs. future, junk vs. artifact, revealing the hub potential of traveling hundreds of thousands of miles.

These are salvaged parts, once built for speed and use. I don’t erase what they were — I light what remains. What used to move through space now shapes it.

Commissions

Redpath is available for select commissioned works, creating custom lighting installations and sculptural pieces tailored to specific spaces.