Strandbeest. The Dream Machines of Theo Jansen

Intricate as insects, but with bursts of equine energy, "Strandbeests" or "beach creatures," are the project of Dutch artist Theo Jansen, who has been working for nearly two decades to create a new life-form that moves, and even survives, on its own.


Set to roam the beaches of Holland, the Strandbeests pick up the wind in their gossamer wings and spring, as if by metamorphosis, into life. As if it were blood, not the breeze, running through their delicate forms, they quiver, cavort, and trot against the sun and sea, pausing to change direction if they sense loose sand or water that might destabilize their movement.


Coinciding with a travelling exhibition, this eBook captures Jansen's menagerie through films, drawings, sketches, and the stunning photographic studies of Lena Herzog, who has followed the evolution of the Strandbeests for the past seven years. The result is a mesmerizing encounter not only with a very surrealist brand of marvelous, but also with whole new ideas of existence.


Available exclusively in this eBook edition:

- A compilation of video clips from documentary filmmakers Alexander Schlichter, Walther Grotenhuis and Cinta Forger
- Additional photographs by Lena Herzog
- Preparatory drawings by Theo Jansen, with zoom to appreciate the finest details
- Interactive table of contents and image finder
- Search, highlight, definition, and note-taking tools for all texts
- Social media links to the artists and their upcoming events