Strandbeests

At the beginning of October we went to see the Strandbeests exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum.

The strandbeests ("beach creatures") are fascinating machines made by a Dutch artist named Theo Jansen. They are powered by the wind and walk along the beach.

I first read about the strandbeests several years ago. This is the first time they have travelled for an exhibit. I'm so glad we went because I learned so much more about them.

I didn't realize they are almost entirely made out of PVC, including many small parts that make up the joints and mechanisms - not just the "bones".

It also hadn't occurred to me that to make the larger beests required many copies of the same part so he had to devise "mass production" techniques. There were some great videos in the exhibit that showed that.

The best part was getting to push one and examine up close how it works.

The PEM always has an activity for kids. This time it involved building ecosystems out of colored foam and other bits. Each of us built one.

Outside the museum there was another exhibit called Stickwork by Patrick Doherty. Back when it was installed the artist invited the public to help build the "houses". We missed that, but we sure enjoyed the result.

Also, Salem has become quite the tourist attraction during the month of October, leading up to Halloween. As many as 100,000 people show up on actual Halloween! Outside the museum the streets and alleys were filled with witch and Halloween-themed stuff.