Elenco Strandbeest - Manual (Page 8)

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Theory of Evolution
Interviewer: Why do you describe the history of the
strandbeests as the theory of evolution?
Jansen: I was greatly influenced by Richard Dawkins'
Selfish Gene in my 20's. I wanted to evolve my beests by
expanding one idea into modified and improved versions.
Interviewer: Have you researched any species and/or
their evolutional process?
Jansen: No. On the contrary, I stayed away from
modeling the evolutionary histories of any existing
organisms. My focus has been always finding necessary
functions and abilities for the beests to adapt to the
environment and survive. For example, the newer beest
can anchor itself by hammering a peg into the sandy
ground in order to keep its body from being blown away
by gusts of wind. It also senses the tide coming in and
moves toward dry land. I have often found that some of
my beests resemble existing beach creatures or the
evolutionary process is similar to that of natural
organisms.
Interviewer: How are they going to continue evolving in
the future?
Jansen: My ultimate goal is that the strandbeests stroll,
eat, reproduce, and survive as a group on the beach
without me. I need to improve their energy system: store
air in the PET bottles and utilize it as needed. Liars need to
be modified to accommodate a more complex nervous
system. I would like the beests to behave autonomously.
Interviewer: Could you tell us about "Siamesis"?
Jansen: "Siamesis" evolved from "Umerus". It took a year
to make Siamesis, that is relatively quick work. The 200kg
beest uses 500 pipes (roughly 2km in total), 80 PET bottles,
2000 cells, and 72 legs.
Siamesis extends its wings to collect wind and stores the
compressed air for later use. It has antennae connected to
a trailing urethane tube that controls the valve by sucking
up water so that the beest navigates itself away from the
water. Siamesis is a highly evolved creature that has more
autonomous movements because of sensors. The mate-
rial of the wings is a special UV protected sheet. It is quite
costly. I am looking into other light weight, strong, and
cheaper materials.
Interviewer: I would like to ask you this question as the
conclusion of this interview. What do you do about the
beests' reproduction? The ability to reproduce is essential
to keep the species alive.
Jansen: That has always been in my thoughts. How can I
give them the ability to reproduce? I have been testing
some methods. One day I was surfing the internet and
realized that people all over the world are creating all sorts
of beests using my holy numbers. I can think of this
phenomenon as a type of reproduction.
The holy numbers are open to the public through the
internet. It is a free source for everyone. It is one of my
hopes that more people in the world are inspired by my
beests and start making their own unique species
everywhere.
Interviewer: You are often compared to Leonardo da
Vinci. Do you think you are an artist or an engineer?
Jansen: I don't think of art and engineering as two
separate things. I often think about the Inuit people for
example: how their handmade primitive tools invented
by necessity are convincingly beautiful! Well thought
out and highly functional craft is artistic and beautiful by
nature. In this regard, I consider myself an artist, an
engineer, and a scientist.
If I have to pick one, I am slightly closer to an artist
because I am obsessed with the yellow pipes and the
moving objects.
(editor's words)
Theo Jansen is truly a master craftsman. He lives and
breathes his yellow pipes. His masterpieces function
flawlessly, and at the same time, are powerful and beau-
tiful art.
A fossil of a retired beest with its tombstone.
Jansen is inspec
ting the new
est beest
, "Siamesis"
.
A handshake was exchanged
between Jansen and the
interviewer. Jansen's enormous
passion for the beests was felt
through his hand by the
interviewer.