"My CREATIONS" Theo Jansen at TED

CREATIVITY & DISRUPTION
"My CREATIONS, a New form Of LIFE"

THEO JANSEN AT TED TALKS

"The walls between art and engineering exist only in our minds. Your head is also a computer, when you're dreaming, you are simulating a world in which you are living" Theo Jansen. The Dush Artist Theo Jansen demonstrates the amazingly lifelike kinetic sculptures he builds from plastic tubes and lemonade bottles. His creatures are designed to move -- and even survive -- on their own. He has been working for 16 years to create sculptures that move on their own in eerily lifelike ways. Each generation of his "Strandbeests" is subject to the forces of evolution, with successful forms moving forward into new designs. Jansen's vision and long-term commitment to his wooden menagerie is as fascinating to observe as the beasts themselves. WATCH NOW THIS GREAT TED TALK .

THEO JANSEN - ART AND ENGINEERING

Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist who builds walking kinetic sculptures that he calls a new form of life. His "Strandbeests" walk the coastline of Holland, feeding on wind and fleeing from water.

"I can be fascinated with very little things. The clouds stimulate my imagination, and sometimes I just sit somewhere and go on dreaming for a long time. Your head is also a computer. When you're dreaming, you are simulating a world in which you are living."

His newest creatures walk without assistance on the beaches of Holland, powered by wind, captured by gossamer wings that flap and pump air into old lemonade bottles that in turn power the creatures' many plastic spindly legs. The walking sculptures look alive as they move, each leg articulating in such a way that the body is steady and level. They even incorporate primitive logic gates that are used to reverse the machine's direction if it senses dangerous water or loose sand where it might get stuck.

"I make skeletons that are able to walk on the wind, so they don't have to eat... eventually I want to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives. I think the Netherlands will become one big city at a point. It is inevitable when you live in a country with so many people. You cannot afford to leave nature as it is. Some people believe that the dunes should be left in their original state, but I think it's strange to let things become how they were 500 years ago."

Why you should listen

“A self-styled god, Jansen is evolving an entirely new line of animals: immense multi-legged walking critters designed to roam the Dutch coastline, feeding on gusts of wind.” — Wired News

Theodorus Gerardus Jozef "Theo" Jansen (born 14 March 1948) is a Dutch artist. In 1990, he began building large mechanisms out of PVC that are able to move on their own and, collectively, are entitled, Strandbeest. The kinetic sculptures appear to walk. His animated works are intended to be a fusion of art and engineering. He has said that "The walls between art and engineering exist only in our minds." He strives to equip his creations with their own artificial intelligence so they may avoid obstacles such as the sea, by changing course when detected.

Jansen was born in Scheveningen in the Netherlands. He grew up with a talent for both physics and art, and studied physics at the University of Delft. Jansen left the university in 1974 without a degree. While at Delft, Jansen was involved in many projects that involved both art and technology, including a paint machine and a flying-saucer machine.

"I liked science very much. A science teacher in high school inspired me, and because of him, I began studying science at the university. But when I got there... well, the subject still attracted me a lot, but I had to do all these exams, and it was just like working in an office. I couldn't stand that."

Flying saucer

In 1979 Jansen started using cheap PVC pipes to build a 4-meter-wide flying saucer that was filled with helium. It was launched over Delft in 1980 on a day when the sky was hazy. Light and sound came from the saucer. Because the saucer was black against a light sky, its size was difficult to determine. The police even stated that it was 30-meters-wide and some people swore they saw a halo around it.[citation needed] Jansen has claimed that this project "caused a near-riot". He said that afterward, the machine was never found and that it probably landed somewhere in Belgium. He later repeated the project over Paris.

Painting machine

Jansen's painting machine was developed in 1984–86 in Delft, and it was a somewhat larger project than his flying saucer. It consisted of a tube with a light cell situated at its end. When darkness was detected, the machine would begin to spray paint, creating painted silhouettes of people standing in front of it. This machine also was attached to a large piece of wood that was hoisted against a wall, where it would move back and forth to create 2-D images of everything in the room.

The Strandbeest

"The Strandbeest is a self-replicating meme, a brain virus. It infects the student's brain. In fact, the Strandbeest abuse students for their reproduction. For two years, this reproduction fell into a flow acceleration. Now, 3D printers produce walking mini Strandbeests."

Since 1990, Jansen has been creating Strandbeest (Dutch for beach beast, or beasts), which are wind-propelled examples of what he describes as artificial life. All of his models are based on a system of triangles and connecting links which convert the rotation of an axle into a stepping motion of six or more legs. this allows the Strandbeests to travel over sand much more efficiently than if traveling on wheels. that was at first, a rudimentary "breed" has evolved slowly, with the help of evolutionary computation techniques, into a generation of kinetic sculptures that to some degree can react to their environment. Jansen has said "I make skeletons that are able to walk on the wind. 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 from PVC piping, wood, and fabric airfoils, Jansen's sculptures constantly are being improved and are designed to function in the sandy beach environment in which Jansen releases them. The sculptures also are able to store air pressure in order to propel themselves in the absence of wind. Once they have entered water, Jansen's more sophisticated creations are able to detect that, and to move away from it. One model is capable of anchoring itself to the earth if an approaching storm is sensed.

A 2016 episode of The Simpsons, "The Nightmare After Krustmas," featured the Strandbeests and Jansen. He provided the voice for his cartoon character.

SOURCE:
"My CREATIONS, a new form of Life" Theo Jansen by TED Talks (CC BY NC ND)

Theo Jansen by wikipedia (CC BY SA)

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