Animari: Wind Powered Gentle Giants

Kinetic Dutch sculptor, Theo Jansen, began developing in 1990 his own species of animals called Animari.  These creatures built of PVC walk in herds on beaches powered only by wind.  Some of the Strandbeests (beach animal or beast) are able to capture and store the wind with the aid of their wing-like-assisted reservoirs in recycled plastic bottles.  These keep the Strandbeests moving for extended periods of time.  Some Strandbeests have the ability to automatically anchor themselves when the high winds threaten to blow them away thus engaging in a mode of "active self-preservation."  All are able to determine if they are near water or sand dunes, and will turn away, remaining safe in those in-between areas.

Jansen, once a student of physics, began working with inexpensive tubes of PVC in the 1970s.  He built a helium filled UFO that caused quite a stir in Delft when it took flight in 1980.   Jansen later went on to become a painter, and developed a handy painting machine.  In 1990, he found a happy medium between his love for physics and art with the birth of Animari.  The number and length of the Strandbeest's PVC tubes determines the genetic code on how it moves and interacts with the surroundings of each breed.  To experience these amazing creatures in their native habitat, enjoy the video below.   

 And his "more technical" presentation on the Strandbeests at TED in Monterey, California: