BOOK:The Dream Machines of Theo Jansen, Taschen Publications

Theo Jansen studied science at the University of Delft. He spent his early career painting, before deciding to strike out on a new course by making a real flying saucer which flew over Delft in 1980. Since then he has been working on the creation of the “Strandbeest species” or “beach creatures”. For seven years, photographer and artist Lena Herzog followed the evolution of Strandbeests. Intricate as insects but with bursts of equine energy. Set to roam the beaches of Holland, the Strandbeests pick up the wind in their gossamer wings and spring, 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 traveling exhibition, Herzog’s photographic tribute, “Strandbeest. The book “The Dream Machines of Theo Jansen” by Taschen Publications, captures Jansen’s menagerie in a meditative black and white, showcasing Jansen’s imaginative vision, as well as the compelling intersection of animate and inanimate in 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 with whole new ideas of existence.-Dimitris Lempesis