S=k*ln(W)

Theo Jansen is an engineer-turned-sculptor from Holland who builds very unusual works of art.  He calls them “wind beasts”.  They have no on-board computers, no sensors and are completely analog creations which harness the power of the wind to move along the coasts of the Netherlands.

Jansen has spent the entirety of his adult life building his massive plastic wind beasts.  The lessons of each windy season drive another year’s creation. As Jansen learned what makes a good wind beast and what doesn’t, his creatures evolved, developing central drive trains and even the ability to detect water and avoid it with a simple mechanical logic system based on aspiration.

Jansen has an intelligent designer’s love of his wind beasts and delights in finding out what works and what doesn’t.  The beasts themselves have an interesting story to tell.  A bounty of energy exists all around us that we can harness and sometimes the best answer to a unique problem doesn’t involve fancy gadgets or digital logic.