Steel wall art, "Chancay Birds"

"I'm Marco Antonio Floríndez Jáuregui and I was born in Chachapoyas in 1978. From the time I was a boy, I was inclined toward design. I remember that I didn't have any toys or the possibility of getting any. I'd see my cousin with his little trucks and think, 'I want one just like that.' So I'd go down to the river and pick up stones. With them, I'd invent my own cars and toys. They made me very happy, as I'd made them myself however I wanted.

"When I was a teen, I studied maintenance mechanics in the city of Cajamarca. What I learned there enabled me to work and to depict my own ideas in metal. With my classmates and the help of one of our teachers, we made a life-size sculpture of a man out of junk. It was on display there for three years in the Feria del Fangal.

"After graduation, I returned home and taught mechanics in technical schools there. Eventually I left to complement my knowledge of metal mechanics with studies in design. I began a course in interior design but, due to economic problems, I couldn't finish. However I remained in contact with my classmates and they told me about the third national contest in locksmith work. I entered and came out as one of the finalists. I felt so proud!

"For my designs, I use all the components than can be used. My specialty is working in cold metal. I try to make the most of materials that others usually discard. Nothing is junk – I can use everything. This takes me back to my childhood when my imagination could transform a stone into a truck. Of course, it all took place in my own mind.

"I try to make my designs simple but attractive and innovative. The great Spanish architect Calatrava has been an example for me. I like to put aero-spatial details into my work, and I also like to use Inca iconography. I want my work to be different, distinct from what you'd usually find.

"What I do is fun for me. Sometimes I can't sleep at night as I think of new designs. When I finally finish a design, it's never exactly what I thought it would be. But I stick with it until it becomes what I dreamed it would be, and I feel so proud when I achieve it. The most interesting part is that, when you finish one piece, another comes to mind.

"Each of my designs is a way of expressing what we can't say or do in real life. I create art that tries to defy gravity.

"My greatest dream is to set up a workshop where I can create my works and, at the same time, help other artisans from my province. Help them achieve their dreams, help those with hidden talent who, for economic reasons, haven't been able to practice their art.

"I once had the opportunity to teach, and this is another of my dreams – to pass my knowledge on to others so that with their ideas and my skill they can make wonderful things."