Cabinet of Curiosities - Day 23

Today's curio is ... a Strandbeest.

I've long been fascinated by the fantastic kinetic 'animals' created by Dutch physicist and artist Theo Jansen. Powered by the wind and able to detect threats and change direction, his creations seem so alive. One can even hover to avoid getting wet or swamped by sand. An extraordinary feat for something made from plastic plumbing pipes and cable ties.

I've watched these videos for years and marvelled at how the Strandbeests (beach animals) have evolved. Each 'species' is given a name and, year on year, they develop new abilities. 

And then I discovered that Jansen had worked with a Japanese company to make a model of the Ordis Parvus that you could build at home. I had to have one.

 

I'll be the first to confess that it wasn't an easy build (and the instructions were in Japanese). You get a sense of that when you watch an expert model maker like Adam Savage tackle a Strandbeest kit.

But it was well worth the effort as it's an extraordinary thing.

And now, a few years later, you can get one (with English instructions!) for under a tenner (click here).

Meanwhile, I can heartily recommend any of Theo Jansen's books and his YouTube Channel here. 

His website is here.