The Strandbeest

At the NMC Conference in Indianapolis (IUPUI), I was fortunate enough to see a Strandbeest, a work of engineering/art created by Theo Jansen.

The Strandbeests are kinetic scultures that look like they're made out of 3/4" pvc water pipes held together with string and wooden pegs. They are quite marvelous to see. They almost look alive, like walking animal skeletons. They remind me very much of some of the robots you see in the last Star Wars. A gust of wind is all they need to make them skuttle across the ground. The movement looks so very fluid and natural that it's almost scary.