Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist who, since 1990, has been creating large-scale kinetic sculptures out of mostly PVC pipe that are able to move on their own. His creatures, which he calls ‘Strandbeests,’ primarily are set out on beaches in the Netherlands, where they are powered by the wind.

His more recent work involves a rudimentary form of artificial intelligence, with pneumatic logic circuits able to direct the animal in another direction if water is detected, for instance. A feature of the work that could be incorporated into the work we do in class is the use of fabric as an input: sails on the sculptures collect wind to use as power for the movement.

The intelligence and biomimicry of Jansen’s work is not immediately apparent, although you can certainly get a sense of life and thought from videos of the sculptures moving. He views his work as an ecology of species, and iterates on previous designs as a form of evolution.