If I were to tell you “I have invented a mechanical animal made out of plastic tubes and that roams the beaches only using the power of the wind” you may look at me a little strange. So when Dutch artist/engineer Theo Jansen describes his kinetic sculptures he would get some odd looks indeed. They have to be seen to be believed. They are a triumph of light-weight design, alternative energy sources and of thinking right outside the square (things that we rate highly here at Pli). He has even created a simple brain that controls these graceful beasts. This is only an 8 minute talk; even if you just skip through it it is worth the watch.

The concept of found objects has been used in art since Marcel Duchamp’s signed urinal. The artist David Mach uses coat hangers and the idea of up-cycling - taking low quality/priced objects and turning them into high quality/priced objects - to create some incredibly inspiring pieces. I don’t think sustainability was on his mind when he sculpted them, they are simply works of art; he even may have used new coat hangers. However, he does show how creativity, talent, and I suspect a lot of patience, can turn something as mundane and disposable as a coat hanger into something quite spectacular.

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