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The beasts are back

Bruchus Primus and Bruchus Segundus are the two new entries of Theo Jansen’s popular bestiary: the Dutch artist will perform on the beaches at The Hague.

Dutch artist Theo Jansen this summer continues his beach performances in The Hauge, The Netherlands, showcasing Bruchus Primus and Bruchus Segundus, two new mechanic ‘beasts’ that move with the wind.

Theo Jansen, Strandbeest, Bruchus, The Hague, 2016 — Theo Jansen, *Strandbeest*, Bruchus, The Hague, 2016

Made up by plastic yellow tubes, this walking skeletons are able to move autonomously after years of technical improvements. The structures consist of recycled plastic bottles containing air that can be pumped up to a high pressure by the wind. This is done using a variety of bicycle pump and plastic tubing that are driven by wings up at the front of the animal that flap in the breeze. It takes a few hours to have the beasts ready, and they have a complex system of backup tubes fulfilled with air, that interact with each other making the sculpture ‘alive’.

Theo Jansen, who studied physics at the Delft University of technology, will perform through the summer with sessions that can be reserved in advance.