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 One man’s junk is the essential material for Ned Schaper’s art.

 Schaper specializes in building kinetic art, sculptures that feature moving components. His pieces come in all shapes and sizes and appear to be the result of Schaper’s whimsical imagination.

 One thing all of his sculptures have in common are the scraps used to build them.

 “In reality what I have is a collection of work that basically built itself. Because I didn’t go get things, I just used what I have…I only use what I have in the building,” Schaper said.

 His work is housed inside his studio, the Mat Bevel Institute, located on the northeast corner of Stone Avenue and 6^th Street. Mat Bevel is also Schaper’s alias. While not usually open these days, earlier this year Schaper was mounting lights and rearranging his art for the Tucson Sculpture Festival.

 “I mean when they come in and all my stuff is moving people just go nuts. There’s something about seeing something working in a way you’re not supposed to be seeing it that just blows your whole theory about the physical world,” Schaper said.

 Even other sculptors appreciate Schaper’s work including Danny Wolverton who is the director for the Tucson Sculpture Festival. For the second year, Wolverton asked Schaper to participate and open his studio for the event.

 “When you come inside of here it’s just simply impressive. I mean the whole entire space is completely full of moving pieces of artwork,” Wolverton said.

 Schaper said his work makes the biggest impact on children and some have even refused to leave the studio during school field trips. But his moving art has the ability to shock nearly anyone, including retiree Stephen Smith.

 “Seeing the kinetic stuff is really interesting. You’re probing inside someone’s mind and seeing how he’s taken a bunch of junk and reassembled it,” Smith added, “Things are given a total new perspective and a second life perhaps.”

 Pieces like a chomping shark and gigantic, moving sculpture operated by a cycling conductor exemplify Shaper’s artistic and technical expertise.

 “I claim I’m not responsible in a lot of ways. The only thing I do is I pay very good attention. I pay better attention to the objects than most people,” Schaper said.

 He has spent decades creating kinetic art and while he doesn’t lead a glamorous life, he lives inside his studio, he said he believes he’s doing exactly what he is meant to do.

 “All I’ve been told my whole life is ‘you can’t do that, you can’t do that, you can’t do that,’ and I say ‘yes I can,’ and this is it,” Schaper said.