Strandbeest_{The Dream Machines of Theo Jansen}

Sculptural species: A new life-form in its own right?For the past seven years, photographer and artistLena Herzog has followed the evolution of a new, kinetic species. Intricate as insects, but with bursts of equine energy, the "Strandbeests" or "beach creatures," are the creation of Dutch artistTheo Jansen, who has been working for nearly two decades to develop anew 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 andspring, as if by metamorphosis, into action. 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, Herzog's photographic tribute captures Jansen's menagerie in a meditative black and white, showcasing Jansen'simaginative vision, as well as the compelling intersection of animate and inanimatein his creatures. The result is a work of art in its own right and a mesmerizing encounter not only with a very surrealist brand of marvelous, but also withwhole new ideas of existence.Text in English, French, and German