Photos: Strandbeest Makes Surprise Appearance At The Bean
By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 4, 2016 8:35PM
Chicago has been excitedly awaiting the arrival of the Strandbeests, and we got a surprise sneak peek at one of the beasties as it strolled around The Bean in Millennium Park.
'Strandbeests' are the creation of Dutch physicist and artist Theo Jansen, and these self-powered, kinetic pieces of art blur the lines between science experiment and performance art. On his website he describes his mission, saying:
Since 1990 I have been occupied creating new forms of life. Not pollen or seeds but plastic 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 storm and water and eventually I want to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives.
Heady stuff.
Jansen has brought a number of his creations to town for an exhibit that opens at the Cultural Center Friday and runs through May 1.
Words don't really do these creations justice, so here's a short clip of Thursday's Strandbeest in action.