Theo Jansen, Strandbeesten


Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist who builds walking kinetic sculptures that he calls a new form of life. His 'Strandbeests' walk the coastline of Holland, feeding on wind and fleeing from water. Intricate as insects, but with bursts of equine energy, 'Strandbeests' or "beach creatures," are the project of Dutch artist Theo Jansen, who has been working for nearly two decades to create a new life-form that moves, and even survives, on its own. Set to roam the beaches of Holland, the Strandbeests pick up the wind in their gossamer wings and spring, as if by metamorphosis, into life. As if it were blood, not the breeze, running through their delicate forms, they quiver, cavort, and trot against the sun and sea, pausing to change direction if they sense loose sand or water that might destabilize their movement.

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