Ideas change everything

My creations, a new form of life

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Theo Jansen |

TED2007

• March 2007

Artist Theo Jansen demonstrates the amazingly lifelike kinetic sculptures he builds from plastic tubes and lemonade bottles. His creatures are designed to move -- and even survive -- on their own.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Artist Theo Jansen demonstrates the amazingly lifelike kinetic sculptures he builds from plastic tubes and lemonade bottles. His creatures are designed to move -- and even survive -- on their own.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.

Visit an exhibit of Theo Jansen's work in your area.

About the speaker

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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.

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Find out more about the artist's yellow plastic beasts — which walk on the wind and survive on their own — at strandbeest.com.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.

Visit an exhibit of Theo Jansen's work in your area.