Since 1990, kinetic sculptor Theo Jansen has been building huge structures resembling alien insects or the skeletons of prehistoric animals that can move under the influence of wind. Kinetic sculptures or "beach animals"(Strandbeest), as the author himself calls them, created at the intersection of engineering and art, can not only move independently, but also respond to environment, survive and “evolve”. Representatives of a new population of animals, “bred” by Theo Jansen, They are able to recognize water and the type of soil, avoid obstacles, and, when a storm approaches, “snuggle” to the ground.“I want these animals to live in herds on the beaches one day and become completely autonomous,” Theo Jansen dreams.
During the exhibition, the famous Space Pavilion at VDNKhturned into an impromptu beach along which the amazing creatures of Theo Jansen “walked”. Each of "beach animals" constructed from a variety of plastic tubes, bottles, wooden blocks, polyethylene and tape, has original name and only to him inherent character. Each of the 12 exhibits brought to Moscow was assembled by artist Theo Jansen himself.
Public lecture by Theo Jansen took place on May 21, 2014 in as part of the opening educational program .
“Theo Jansen: Liar Valves, Evolution via the Internet and Portraits of Women” – by the artist.
Interview with Theo Jansen:
- Dinosaurs in space /The Art Newspaper Russia
- “The world is based on an incredibly simple system” /Theories and Practices
- “My animals will live at least 10 million years” /Afisha.Air
- VDNH will host the festival of science and curiosity “Polytech” /Vedomosti
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Theo Jansen was born in 1948 in The Hague. As a child, he was interested in both physics and art. While studying at the Delft University of Technology, the future designer and engineer took part in projects that combined art and new technologies. Before creating kinetic sculptures, Theo Jansen designed mechanical animals and built a model of a UFO. Theo began creating extraordinary “creatures” - “Strandbeest” in 1990. As a result of numerous experiments, he invented a method that allows him to move heavy objects using the power of air. Jansen deliberately did not patent his discovery; on the contrary, he made it available to everyone by posting it on his website so that, if desired, everyone could create their own personal “beast.”
From 1995 to the present day, Theo Jansen has been a permanent member international exhibitions(in 2012, the Strandbeest exhibition in Buenos Aires was visited by more than 2,000,000 people). In 1996, the artist received the Max Reneman Prize Klimmen, the first of many awards that Theo Jansen would receive for creating Strandbeest.
On Dutch beaches you can see new look life. Strange creatures move on dozens of legs with the help of the wind, which inflates large sails located on their backs.
Engineer Theo Jansen, who created new life, called them strandbeasts, which means “beach animal” in Dutch. These sculptures have no eyes, and they avoid the surf with the help of special antennas. The most amazing thing is that these creatures are made of plastic tubes.
Engineer creating new life
Dutch artist and sculptor Theo Jansen gained fame thanks to his kinetic sculptures, featuring special mechanisms that resemble the skeletons of fairy-tale creatures.
Jansen began creating the first multi-legged beach monsters in the early 90s of the last century. The talented sculptor says that from then on he could not stop. Initially, his idea was that self-propelled creations were supposed to collect scattered sand into the dunes, thereby acting for the benefit of Holland. But in the end, the sculptor was delighted with his pets and did not pursue practical goals.
Theo Jansen, whose sculptures fascinate and surprise, has traveled all over the world with them. An amazing circus with self-propelled structures is awaited everywhere and received with delight.
from Holland
Having been constructing moving sculptures for over seventeen years, Jansen says he creates his work so that it can fit more naturally into wildlife. Wind and sun rays perfectly highlight the exclusivity of kinetic animals.
Theo Jansen lives and works at sea coast in the heart of The Hague. The creator admits that it is the sea breeze that is his main inspiration, because the main thing in kinetic sculptures is movement, which allows you to see the work in its entirety.
Modern mechanics: how mysterious mechanisms work
Any subsequent generation of beach sculptures differs from the previous one, becoming more modernized. Each time the designs adapt better to the conditions sandy beaches and more successfully withstand the influence of water and wind.
To create the frame, Jansen uses cheap PVC pipes. The interior of the sculpture consists of plastic bottles filled with air. Coming into contact with the wind, the figures begin to move. Many of them can move even when there is no wind, accumulating air pressure.
The talented sculptor Theo Jansen invented models that are securely fastened in one place during a storm and can even recognize their own immersion in water. This extraordinary evolution is a deliberate step that the author took in order to reproduce real life through art.
The windy art of Theo Jansen in Moscow
An exhibition of the Dutch sculptor entitled “Kinetic Life of Sandy Beaches” was also held in Moscow. She worked for several months at VDNKh in the Space pavilion. During the exhibition, the famous site turned into a beach along which amazing and mysterious creatures walked.
The exhibition was organized by the Polytechnic Museum, which moved to VDNKh due to the reconstruction of an outdated building. And if before this the cult of the machine reigned in the museum, now it has been replaced by new mechanisms with intelligence.
Every time, exhibitions of a talented engineer arouse interest and adoration among the mass public. Theo Jansen deserves to be called a real wizard. Wind-driven sculptures mysteriously hypnotize viewers who stand near them all day long.
Kinetic art V recent years is at the peak of popularity, because masters who have mastered light and movement manage to achieve a stunning effect - to overcome the static nature of sculpture. In our review - 8 most original examples how art objects come to life.
1.Fantastic mechanism from artist Lime Young
Lime Young is a true virtuoso. The master manages to construct the most complex mechanisms from circuit boards, microprocessors, servos and other mechanical devices. When put into action, his kinetic sculptures have a magnetic effect on viewers, because it is simply impossible for the average person to solve the mystery of the mechanism.
2.Car silhouettes made from metal spheres
appeared several years ago, but still causes delight. 714 metal spheres fold into the shape of car models different years release.
3. Wing Flap by Bob Potts
70-year-old sculptor Bob Potts creates minimalist, but no less impressive works. His kinetic sculptures imitate the flapping of a bird's wings or the movement of an oar while rowing. It’s amazing how the master manages to convey the trajectory of movement so accurately.
4. "Dancing" sculptures by Anthony Howe
works with rough material – steel reinforcement, but creates surprisingly harmonious kinetic sculptures. In calm weather they look elegant and sophisticated, and with the first breath of wind they begin their fancy dance.
5. "Mechanical fish" from the art group ArtMechanicus
Through efforts art group ArtMechanicus more than one “mechanical fish” has been born. The collection of Moscow masters includes “Fish-House”, reminiscent of Noah’s Ark, “Fish-Knight”, personifying a lonely horseman, “Nut Fish”, symbolizing the desire for beauty, and “Fish-ram” - an allegory of the struggle between living and inanimate principles.
6. Wooden Wonders by David Roy
David Roy gives his own touching and tender names - “Fiesta”, “Summer Rain”, “ Sun dance", "Serenade", "Zephyr". Wooden creations are set in motion by the wind and immediately become light and graceful.
7. Kinetic device that plays the violin. By Seth Goldstein
Seth Goldstein is a mechanical engineer who managed to create a device that can copy the movement of hands. The kinetic sculpture, equipped with drives, rotors, pulleys and computer chips, recognizes audio files played on an electronic keyboard and then plays a melody on the violin.
8.Giant animal sculptures by Theo Jansen
Theo Jansen creates giant miracle monsters that, obeying gusts of wind, come to life from plastic tubes, cable cord, nylon ropes and adhesive tape. And then he arranges fun beach walks for insect-like animals. Without a doubt.
It's not every day you get to see a completely new vitality. And that’s exactly what Danish artist Theo Jansen does with his kinetic sculptures. His "beach beasts" are marvelous wind automatons that have incredible realistic agility as they cascade in the flow of waves along the seaside. Created using genetic algorithms, these elegantly proportioned creatures are constantly evolving to better suit their environment.
By definition, kinetic art- this is the direction in contemporary art, main characteristic feature which is the effect of real movement of the entire work or its individual components. Today, the term is most often used to describe three-dimensional sculptures that typically move unassisted or are powered by a motor. And impressive work Dutch artist Theo Jansen fall under the first category.
But Theo Jansen was not always the creator of life. He used to study physics, but then abandoned it to become an artist. He approached art from an unusual side. At first, Janson almost caused panic in the city because of his home UFO, and a year later he invented an amazing drawing machine.
In 1990 Theo Jansen finally found the perfect balance between physics and art. Then the first creatures from his Strandbeest series began to appear. Using PVC pipes and fabric, the artist was able to construct incredible creatures. The number of tubes and the length of each tube determines the genetic "code" of each "animal", dictating how it will move and interact with its environment.
He calls his kinetic sculptures “animals.” These creatures walk in herds along the beach, using only wind energy. Some of them, like the Animaris Percipiere, have a stomach. It consists of plastic bottles containing air, so the creature is able to capture and store wind, and then continue to move for a long time.
Some of them can even bury themselves in the sand when the wind gets too strong and they are in danger of being blown away. And Jansen's most complex creations are able to recognize that they have entered the water and begin to move in the opposite direction. So these “animals” made of plastic pipes even have a self-preservation instinct.
“I want these animals to one day live in herds on the beaches and become completely autonomous.”
Theo Jansen
If you think the idea of wind creatures crawling along the beach is incredible, then you might be surprised to hear how the artist himself imagines the future. Theo Jansen put forward the theory that one day "animals" would be able to evolve just like organic beings on Earth - challenging each other. The winner will absorb the "DNA" of the loser and thus they will continue to grow and learn new things. Jansen says these creatures will one day develop muscles and then brains that will eventually be able to perform complex actions. This video gives a glimpse into the lives of animals and their creator.
For his progressive and inventive approach to art Theo Jansen has been called a "modern da Vinci". Whether the "beach beasts" evolve further or remain in their current form, their phenomenon is amazing in itself, both as an artistic phenomenon and as a fine example of inventive engineering. And watching how “beach animals” move in their flocks along the shore will remain one of the most unforgettable impressions in your life.
Theo Jansen(Dutch Theo Jansen; March 17, 1948, The Hague, Netherlands) - Dutch artist and kinetic sculptor. He builds huge structures that resemble the skeletons of animals that are able to move under the influence of the wind along sandy beaches. Jansen calls these sculptures “animals” or “creatures.”
The art of kinetics has been around for over a century. Its adherents believe that the effects of real movement and light may well become a subject of art. The Dutch artist and sculptor Theo Jansen shares the same opinion. For more than twenty years he has been working on the most wonderful mechanisms, which he calls Strandbeests. These are walking vehicles that do not have a specific practical application, however, they are undoubtedly a work of art.
Theo Jansen studied physics for seven years at a prestigious university in the Dutch city of Delft, then studied painting and worked as a professional artist, and today he is a famous inventor of unusual “living” creatures.
Theo lives in Denmark and invents a new species of animal that feeds on wind energy and moves like insects, moving its limbs. Theo constructs his animaris from cheap plastic tubing, plastic bottles, duct tape, and similar supplies.
Animaris are created for life on an open sandy surface - that is, in the coastal strip - where walking is much more convenient than moving on wheels. First, Theo calculates all the parameters on the computer, then assembles the models and releases his sailing centipedes onto the beach to watch his children fight the elements and each other.
Storms pose a huge danger to mechanisms, and the artist invents more and more new designs so that his creations are not afraid of bad weather. Now the animals can overcome obstacles, and when a thunderstorm approaches, they try to cling to the surface of the sand. Doesn't it sound fantastic, considering that Theo's creatures have no electronics, but only a little mechanics, the laws of kinetics and wind.
PS from myself - this is what I understand - CREATOR