Photo Credit: E. Dustman
A road trip turned camping trip turned day trip to Crane Beach to see Dutch artist + physicist Theo Jansen’s Strandbeest (Dutch: strand=beach; beest=beast).
Well.
Worth.
It.
Magnificent they are with an early invented appearance and articulated dream-like movements. But, what are they? Jansen’s Strandbeests are sculptures but they aren’t just any sculptures…they are kinetic sculptures that move, appearing as creatures that possess a life of their own.
With these “beach animals,” Jansen sets out to create life forms – “I want to put new forms of life on the beaches and they should survive on their own in the future. Learning to live on their own.” His skeletal-like sculptures do not require food or any sort of power to be harvested by man, but are instead, powered by the wind. It is through carefully calculated articulations and captured wind in wing-like sails, that the beasts move. Now, that’s innovative.
I feel very fortunate to live in New England and to have present for their first debut in the U.S.. It was truly a magical sight to see along the edges of Crane Beach of Ipswich, Massachusetts that will forever be engrained in my memory.