PHOTO BY SEAN COLLIER

From a distance, it looks like an industrial relic; a bit closer, it looks like a UFO. Once you approach “reCARstruction,” however, you’ll see that it’s a car … kind-of.

The hulking sculpture, commissioned by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in 2009, is composed of parts from a 1984 Jeep Grand Wagoneer that was disassembled and welded into a 9-foot sphere by artist Keny Marshall. As you inspect the metallic orb, common auto parts such as a rear-view mirror and gas cap look like alien artifacts; by the time you notice the solar panels atop “reCARstruction,” you’ll be convinced the vehicle is about to zip into the sky.

(The panels are to keep the vehicle’s lights working.) Inspect closely and you’ll find a few openings that will allow you to peer inside the intriguing structure. You can see “reCARstructure” anytime by pulling into the parking lot at the Children’s Museum — just pay for your parking, lest your own vehicle get turned into a matching orb.

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