Considering his work to be a new form of life, artist and engineer Theo Jansen has spent the last two decades working on sculptures that he calls Strandbeest, Dutch for beach beasts, that are capable of self-propelling by using the power of the wind. Jansen hopes that one day, he will be able to release herds of Strandbeests to freely roam the beaches of the world and live harmoniously with nature.
Using PVC electric tubes as the base material, Strandbeest is made up of gossamer wings, pistons, recycled bottles, and zip ties.
In order to propel itself, high pressured air is captured via its gossamer wings that flap in the wind. By releasing the pressured air from the bottles through various pipes and tubes, pistons are then pushed into motion as it acts as the muscles and bones of the Strandbeest. Rather than using conventional wheels to move the Strandbeest, Jansen decided to instead use legs as it allowed for covering ground on sand more efficiently.
“The themes in my work are evolution, life and amazement. The fact that we exist is something that intrigues me daily” – Theo Jansen
