On an empty stretch of beach outside the city of Delft, the Netherlands, small herds of an ostensibly unidentifiable species ramble slowly across the sand. They parade in a delicately rhythmic procession, bleached white by the sun. Brittle vertebrae form pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, and buttresses reminiscent of Gothic architecture. Poised against an endless expanse of blue sky, the creatures’ gossamer wings undulate in the breeze. As the tide rises, the animals recede toward the dunes where, with a strong gust of wind, they can be swept into the air and down the beach like tumbleweeds.
Jansen has spent the past 26 years immersed in creating new life-forms. With names such as Animaris Vulgaris, Animaris Speculator, and Animaris Gryllothalpa—a play on traditional scientific taxonomy—the Strandbeests have evolved over generations from rudimentary creatures that could stretch and bend their legs to increasingly complex animals able to survive the elements. Each spring Jansen introduces a new species of Strandbeest to Scheveningen Beach; in the autumn he declares the animal extinct. A flaw of early Strandbeests was their inability to distinguish between land and sea. To correct this, Jansen devised a series of suspended tubes that react when the animal is in shallow water to prevent it from drowning. He regards his process as akin to natural selection—his future designs only incorporate the most successful components of prior creations.
#Strandbeest walking (then running) on its own!! cc: @ChiCulturCenter pic.twitter.com/cBxRKY9B4Y
— Molly Page (@mollypg) February 4, 2016
Opening reception with Jansen, Fri 2/5, 7 PM; opens Sat 2/6 Chicago Cultural Center, Sidney R. Yates Gallery 78 E. Washington 312-744-6630chicagoculturalcenter.org Free
