DESIGN KILLS - NSW Health Authority Warning

Theo Jansen: KINETIC SCULPTOR

Theo Jansen (born March 17, 1948, in The Hague, Netherlands) is a Dutch artist and kinetic sculptor. He builds large works which resemble skeletons of animals and are able to walk using the wind on the beaches of the Netherlands. His animated works are a fusion of art and engineering; and in a BMW television commercial, Jansen says, "The walls between art and engineering exist only in our minds."

Jansen is dedicated to creating artificial life through the use of genetic algorithms, which simulate evolution inside their code. Genetic algorithms can be modified to solve a variety of problems including circuit design, and in the case of Jansen's creations, complex systems. Some measure of "fitness" is introduced into the algorithm; in Theo's case it is to survive on the beach while moving around within two enclosing lines on the wet sand near the ocean and the dry sand at the edge of the beach. Those designs best at the assigned task within the modeled beach environment are bred together and graded again. Over time complex designs emerge which sprout wings and flap in the breeze pressurizing what look like plastic two liter soda bottles. Articulated legs sprout and scuttle across the sand like those of a crab. Jansen uses plastic electrical conduit to make some of the computer's most promising designs; and he then lets them roam free on the beach, measures their success, and updates his model.

"The Walls between Art and Engineering exists only in our minds." - Theo Jansen

Gallery Site - CONFIRMED

(The orange-filled area)
243-245 King St.
Newtown NSW2042
Australia

Gallery Program - DRAFT

Underground Floor: Dark Theater for Audio & Visual Installation of Jansen's works.*
Ground Floor: Miniature Kinetic Sculpture Models Shop/Gallery of Final Products (Miniature replicas, posters, books)
Level 1: Workshop/ Gallery of Production Process (Photos, drawing boards, sketches)
Level 2 (Roof): Sculpture Roof "Garden": Kinetic Sculpture at 1:1 Scale x 2 (or 3) CHAINED up but desperate to "struggle free" (due to wind) OR FREE-MOVING Kinetic Sculptures propelled by wind moving back and forth. Audience view the scene behind a glass wall. (ALMOST LIKE A ZOO????)

*Inspiration of Bill Viola's Exhibition: Tristan's Ascension (2005) and Fire Woman (2005), "Fire Woman and Tristan’s Ascension (The Sound of a Mountain Under a Waterfall): LOVE/DEATH: The Tristan Project, 2005", St. Saviour's Church, Redfern, Australia. April 9, 2008 - May 24, 2008(from 6:30 - 10:30pm)

Keyword: Bohemian

The term bohemian, of French origin, was first used in the English language in the nineteenth century[1] to describe the untraditional lifestyles of marginalized and impoverished artists, writers, musicians, and actors in major European cities. Bohemians were associated with unorthodox or antiestablishment political or social viewpoints, which were often expressed through non-marital sexual relations, frugality, and/or "voluntary poverty".