Loek van der Klis photography
'Since 1990 I have been occupied creating new forms of life. Not pollen or seeds but plastic yellow tubes are used as the basic material of this new nature. I make skeletons that are able to walk on the wind, so they don’t have to eat. 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.
'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. This is done using a variety of bicycle pump, needless to say of plastic tubing. Several of these little pumps are driven by wings up at the front of the animal that flap in the breeze. It takes a few hours, but then the bottles are full. They contain a supply of potential wind. Take off the cap and the wind will emerge from the bottle at high speed.
'The trick is to get that untamed wind under control and use it to move the animal. For this, muscles are required. Beach animals have pushing muscles which get longer when told to do so. These consist of a tube containing another that is able to move in and out. There is a rubber ring on the end of the inner tube so that this acts as a piston. When the air runs from the bottles through a small pipe in the tube it pushes the piston outwards and the muscle lengthens. The beach animal's muscle can best be likened to a bone that gets longer. Muscles can open taps to activate other muscles that open other taps, and so on. This creates control centres that can be compared to brains.' -- Theo Jansen
'Dutch visual artist Theo Jansen studied science at the University of Delft. As an artist he spent the first seven years of his career painting, after which he decided to strike out on a new course by making a real flying saucer. It flew over Delft in 1980 to the great consternation of the local population and police. Since then he has been trying to create a new type of nature. In his laboratory on a windy roadside on the outskirts of Delft he has continued his work on this pioneering branch of fauna, making skeletons which are able to walk on the wind.' -- IT Conversations Network
Strandbeest in repose
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Loek van der Klis photography
Strandbeest in motion
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p.s. Hey. Depending on when you read this, I'm either in the process of being body scanned in CDG or trying to charm a customs agent in LAX or suffering on a jet somewhere in between them. Starting tomorrow, the blog will be operating on the LA posting schedule through March 27th. So, posts will appear in the late mornings West Coast time and, say, in the late afternoon if you live in Europe. Otherwise, apart from whatever my jetlag is going inflict on you, everything should proceed normally. Today's post is yours courtesy of an alert from Kiddiepunk, so a bunch of the credit goes to him. Also, here's a new nudge to get your Self-Portrait Day entries devised and sent off to me. And I think that's about it for today. I'll find out what you've been up to and respond tomorrow. Take the usual care until then, please. Bye.
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