Dutch artist Theo Jansen has worked for over 20 years trying to make “new forms of life”, mechanical beasts made of PVC pipe, whose power to move on their own comes from the wind. He calls them Strandbeests.

“The breeze gives it life…I want to put this out into the world where they can live in the future…And they don’t have to eat because they get their energy from the wind…

…What I’ve find about this experience of making new forms of life is that you discover all the problems that the real creator must have had creating this world.”

His words make us wonder if that is what all creative people are doing: making new forms of life, echoing the process of discovery and problem solving that has been in play for eons.

Video link here.

Check out Jansen’s website.

Thanks Holton, Christopher, and others who kept reminding us via email of this amazing guy!

If you’ve found illumination, joy, or inspiration in this post, please consider supporting Improvised Life. It only takes a minute to make a secure donation that helps pay our many costs. A little goes a long way towards helping Improvised Life continue to live ad-free in the world.

Support Improvised Life ♥

3 replies on “theo jansen’s new forms of life

  1. fantastic!

    i only wish the artist could make them out of bamboo or something similar that won’t last a billion years, but it also sounds like durability was the goal.

  2. Yeah, Jansen wants his beasts to live on the beach without anyone having to take care of them. He definitely wants to leave them for posterity. Does the beauty of these things justify PVC?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *