Theo Jansen - kinetic sculptor

That heart (previous post) reminds me of Theo Jansen. I first saw him on YouTube a while ago and have been obsessed ever since. He's quite simply the most amazing artist, engaging on every level. This film is a lecture he gave to TED in March 2007. Wish I'd been there, I'd love to see one of his machines working in real life - best of all, they're all about mechanics, not computer chips.

Here's his bio from the TED website:
Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist who builds walking kinetic sculptures that he calls a new form of life. His "Strandbeests" walk the coastline of Holland, feeding on wind and fleeing from water.

Why you should listen to him:

Dutch artist Theo Jansen has been working for 16 years to create sculptures that move on their own in eerily lifelike ways. Each generation of his "Strandbeests" is subject to the forces of evolution, with successful forms moving forward into new designs. Jansen's vision and long-term commitment to his wooden menagerie is as fascinating to observe as the beasts themselves.

His newest creatures walk without assistance on the beaches of Holland, powered by wind, captured by gossamer wings that flap and pump air into old lemonade bottles that in turn power the creatures' many plastic spindly legs. The walking sculptures look alive as they move, each leg articulating in such a way that the body is steady and level. They even incorporate primitive logic gates that are used to reverse the machine’s direction if it senses dangerous water or loose sand where it might get stuck.

-

Jansen's website is well worth a visit. There are other videos and images on it that do a far better job than I could do at explaining the movement of his machines. I have a feeling he has done some sound sculptures in Lancashire too...