Gentle Giants

Step into the imaginarium of Theo Jansen, whose larger-than-life beach animals have made their way to our island for the first time

- Pameyla Cambe

For those who are not familiar with him, think of the Dutch physicist-turned-sculptor Theo Jansen as a modern-day Hephaestus. Like the Greek god of craft, Jansen has a knack for constructing fascinating objects out of ordinary materials — sometimes even going as far as instilling them with a life of their own. While Hephaestus had his stable of automatons (animated statues of animals and people), Jansen has his Strandbeests.

Dutch for “beach animals”, “Strandbeests” is the name of the gigantic wind-powered beasts that Jansen has spent the last three decades creating upon the Dutch seaside where he lives. Though skeletal in appearance, these mechanical beasts are very much alive: they roam the beaches freely without any assistance, and have since evolved into fascinating forms never before seen in the animal kingdom.

It goes without saying that these creatures are quite a sight to behold, although for the longest time most of us could only do so through the videos uploaded on Jansen’s Youtube page. Now, for the first time, Jansen is bringing his unique menagerie to our shores straight from those of the Netherlands.

Held at the ArtScience Museum, “Wind Walkers: Theo Jansen’s Strandbeests” showcases 13 of Jansen’s famed beasts, from the massive, 72-legged Animaris Siamesis to the caterpillar-like Animaris Bruchus Primus. The exhibition offers visitors a chance to see these creatures’ intricate structures of PVC tubes, cable ties, recycled plastic bottles and sails up close, while tracing their remarkable evolution over the years.

Below, we speak to their creator to find out what turns the windmills of his mind.