Theo Jansen
Encyclopedia
Theo Jansen is a Dutch
artist and kinetic sculptor. He builds large works which resemble skeletons of animals, that are able to walk using wind power
on the beaches of the Netherlands
. His animated works are a fusion of art
and engineering
; in a car company (BMW) television commercial Jansen says: "The walls between art
and engineering
exist only in our minds." He strives to equip his creations with their own artificial intelligence
so they can avoid obstacles by changing course when one is detected, such as the sea itself.
Theo Jansen has been creating wind-walking examples of artificial life
since 1990. What was at first a rudimentary breed has slowly evolved into a generation of machines that are able to react to their environment: "over time, these skeletons have become increasingly better at surviving the elements
such as storms and water, and eventually I want to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives."
Constructed as intricate assemblages of piping, wood, and wing-like sails, Jansen's creatures are constantly evolving and have become excellently adapted to their sandy beach environment. The creatures sport legs, which "prove to be more efficient on sand than wheels...they don’t need to touch every inch of the ground along the way, as a wheel has to".
The creatures are also able to store air pressure and use it to drive them in the absence of wind: "Self-propelling beach animals like Animaris Percipiere have a stomach. This consists of recycled plastic bottles containing air, that can be pumped up to a high pressure by the wind." Theo's more sophisticated creations are able to detect once they have entered water and walk away from it, and one species
will even anchor itself to the earth if it senses a storm approaching.
According to his website:
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
artist and kinetic sculptor. He builds large works which resemble skeletons of animals, that are able to walk using wind power
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
on the beaches of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. His animated works are a fusion of art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
; in a car company (BMW) television commercial Jansen says: "The walls between art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
exist only in our minds." He strives to equip his creations with their own artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
so they can avoid obstacles by changing course when one is detected, such as the sea itself.
Theo Jansen has been creating wind-walking examples of artificial life
Artificial life
Artificial life is a field of study and an associated art form which examine systems related to life, its processes, and its evolution through simulations using computer models, robotics, and biochemistry. The discipline was named by Christopher Langton, an American computer scientist, in 1986...
since 1990. What was at first a rudimentary breed has slowly evolved into a generation of machines that are able to react to their environment: "over time, these skeletons have become increasingly better at surviving the elements
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
such as storms and water, and eventually I want to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives."
Constructed as intricate assemblages of piping, wood, and wing-like sails, Jansen's creatures are constantly evolving and have become excellently adapted to their sandy beach environment. The creatures sport legs, which "prove to be more efficient on sand than wheels...they don’t need to touch every inch of the ground along the way, as a wheel has to".
The creatures are also able to store air pressure and use it to drive them in the absence of wind: "Self-propelling beach animals like Animaris Percipiere have a stomach. This consists of recycled plastic bottles containing air, that can be pumped up to a high pressure by the wind." Theo's more sophisticated creations are able to detect once they have entered water and walk away from it, and one species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
will even anchor itself to the earth if it senses a storm approaching.
According to his website:
Since 1990 Theo Jansen has been occupied with the making of a new nature. Not pollen or seeds but plastic yellow tubes are used as the basic material of this new nature. He makes skeletons which are able to walk on the wind. Eventually he wants to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives.
External links
- Strandbeest.com - website with video and photos of the animals
- Strandbeest.es - website with video and photos of the animals in Spanish
- Strandbeestmovie.com - documentary film about Theo Jansen by Alexander Schlichter - The website is a workbook with videos and pictures.
- SiouxWIRE interview - SiouxWIRE interview with Theo Jansen (April 2008)
- Real-time 2D simulation of Jansen's sculpture using the APE physics engine
- Strandbeest: Theo Jansen from Art Futura, 2005
- "Wild Things Are on the Beach" from Wired Magazine
- Video of Theo Jansen speaking at Gel 2005 conference April 29, 2005
- TED Talks: Theo Jansen on the art of creating creatures at TEDTED (conference)TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
in 2007 - Video of Theo Jansen at Art Futura 2005
- Video of Theo Jansen on Eithiriel
- wetenschap24.nl - Lecture from Theo Janssen on beach animals (in Dutch)
- http://communities.ptc.com/videos/2045 - Theo Janssen Machine in Mathcad on PlanetPTC