Theo Jansen

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Theo Jansen with Strandbeest in front of the Hanover Opera House 2007
Strandbeest that walks automatically on sand on the main square of Linz on the occasion of Ars Electronica 2005

Theo Jansen (born March 17, 1948 in Scheveningen ) is a Dutch artist who combines art , evolutionary bionics and engineering .

Life

Jansen grew up in Scheveningen . He was the youngest of eleven children.

Jansen studied physics at the University of Delft for seven years , but left the university in 1974 without a degree. After graduating, he began to work as an artist . At first he was exclusively concerned with painting. In 1980 he built a "flying saucer" which he let fly over Delft, causing a great stir.

Since 1990 he has been developing kinetic art objects , which he calls Strandbeesten (' beach animals'). They are walking machines constructed from yellow plastic tubing, zip ties, nylon thread, and adhesive tape. The conversion from a straight movement to a rotary movement (and vice versa) takes place via coupling gears . They get the energy they need to move from the wind or compressed air. The skeletal structures, some of which look similar to animals and are reminiscent of mythical creatures, are, according to the artist, already in the 7th generation of an evolution towards "independently living beings". The beach bees can roughly orientate themselves on their environment. So they anchor themselves in the sand when a storm is coming, recognize obstacles with their feelers and change direction when they get into the water.

Theo Jansen was awarded the special prize at the Prix ​​Ars Electronica 2005 for his innovative kinetic art . He became widely known in 2007 for the advertising spot for the BMW car brand .

Theo Jansen was a speaker at TED (conference) 2007.

Theo Jansen plays guitar and sings in the Dutch band Mbungo Express.

Theo Jansen was a guest star in an episode of The Simpsons, which was first broadcast in 2016 .

literature

  • Theo Jansen: The Great Pretender . Self-published, 10th edition 2007, ISBN 978-9064506307 (nld. Edition De Grote Fantast )
  • Lena Herzog, Theo Jansen, Lawrence Weschler: Strandbeest. Theo Jansen's dream machines . TASCHEN , 2014, ISBN 978-3-8365-4849-6

media

  • Works of Art - Theo Jansen . DVD, self-published
  • Strandbeesten . Documentary, Alexander Schlichter, Aplusfilm, 32 min (Competition of the XVI.International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, CAMERIMAGE; online strandbeestmovie.com ; alexanderschlichter.de )
  • A modern da Vinci - Theo Jansen and his sculptures. 3sat Kulturzeit, 13 Aug 2008, 7 min (no longer online)
  • A Boy's Dream 75-minute documentary by Walther Grotenhuis u. Cinta Forger, Netherlands, 2015

Web links

Commons : Theo Jansen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://rkd.nl/nl/explore/artists/41813
  2. ↑ a b c http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/09/05/the-march-of-the-strandbeests
  3. ↑ a b http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/magazine/theo-jansens-lumbering-life-forms-arrive-in-america.html?_r=1
  4. ↑ a b ARS ELECTRONICA ARCHIVE - PRIX. BEACH ANIMALS / STRANDBEESTEN. Retrieved March 7, 2020 .
  5. ↑ http://www.strandbeest.com/theo_ufo.php
  6. ↑ Lawrence Weschler: Theo Jansen's Lumbering Life-Forms Arrive in America in the New York Times , November 26, 2014
  7. ↑ BMW Magazine Online 3/2007
  8. ↑ http://www.ted.com/speakers/theo_jansen
  9. ↑ http://www.kuomboka.nl/mbungo.htm
  10. ↑ https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/The_Nightmare_After_Krustmas
  11. ↑ a b Strandbeest Web Shop
  12. ↑ A Boy's Dream. In: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Accessed March 7, 2020 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Jansen, Theo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch artist
DATE OF BIRTH March 17, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Scheveningen