Theo Jansen - Kinetic Sculptures

Theo Jansen

His project began 18 years ago. He designs kinetic sculptures that "live" for the beaches of the Netherlands. He rightfully calls them new forms of life, although they are made mostly of plastic tube, called electricity tube.

The tube is colored in a faded yellow, from a distance in the internet videos, the creatures have a wood like color quality with a small glow. Because the straight, tubular structure is completely exposed, they have a very industrial, inorganic appearance. Juxtaposed on the windy beach with waves crashing behind, the creatures to not blend in at all and draw a great deal of attention because of their organized structure.

Jansen's ultimate goal is to let them live in herds, survive on own completely autonomous from people. The current designs get their energy from wind, not food, captured by the feathers on the creature's back and either directly transformed into kinetic energy or stored pneumatically for use later.

In a video I watch of the creature, it walks sideways on wet sand, nose pointed in the direction of the wind.

Jansen explains that when the creature encounters dry sand or water, it stops, and walks the other way.

evolution generated many species and Jansen has a warehouse displaying all of the predecessors to the most recent "beasts."

In another video clip, the creatures are seen walking in herds. The species Animaris Ondula is a new generation that can store wind energy in used lemonade glass bottles that act as a pressure tank.

The storage of energy is vital, when the create is near the ocean it needs energy to escape, otherwise it would drown.

The proportion of the bodies tubes are important 11 "holy numbers." Perhaps the most visually striking of Jansen's work is the lifelike stride of the creatures. It's apparent that Jansen has studied the gait of mammals and has very successfully recreated it.

Jansen describes it as a new invention of wheel axis is hip. For the creatures beach habitat, the leg is

better than the wheel. The feet step over sand don't have to touch every part of sand in between like a wheel would. Heavy loads can be supported by his design, up to tons or cargo he claims.

The most amazing feature of the designs are the inanimate sculpture's ability to sense the outside world without the the use of batteries and electronics. To survive dangers of beach, (sea) the creatures can feel water. A tube sucks in air, but when resistance of water is felt, will change direction. The brain of the animal is step counter, binary, when hits sea, changes pattern of physical "transistors" (that are in fact pneumatic).

Enemies are storms. When a storm comes, Jansen is working on a module that will drive pin into the sand using a mallet on a swivel.

Jansen's "In a few years will survive on their own. I still have to help them a lot" Jansen has certainly blurred the line with what is considered inanimate sculpture and a sentient being

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