“Kazamidori“ is a weathervane for the Internet age. “Kaza“ (wind) “mi“ (watch) “dori“ (bird) is a Japanese expression for a weathervane. People of former days observed the natural behaviour of birds, which have a habit of looking towards the direction of wind, and this behaviour was incorporated in the design of weathervane. “Kazamidori“ is a device to indicate the social wind of interests on the Internet. It works by using the social energy of web accesses to Ars Electronica. When somebody visits the Ars Electronica website, “Kazamidori“ turns to point in the direction of the visitor. For example, if somebody visits from Tokyo, “Kazamidori“ will point east.)

For about two decades, printers have offered computer users a convenient way to print texts and photos. But for a while now, special devices allow to make three-dimensional objects made of plastic, metal, gypsum and even concrete with a printer. First, you use special 3D software to design a digital object on the computer. Then all you have to do is print it!

Theo Jansen first studied physics. Since 1990, he’s been working with yellow plastic tubing, which he uses to construct skeleton-like creatures that lumber along the beach. Jansen considers himself the creator of a new life form that’s nourished solely by the wind and constantly undergoes a sort of evolution. These Strandbeester move with the wind, recognize obstacles with their feelers, and dig into the sand when a storm threatens. Theo Jansen has made it his mission in life to endow his creatures with resistance to diverse forces of nature so they’ll someday be able to survive without him and lumber independently along the world’s beaches.