Way back in 2000 Sodaplay was let free to roam the internet. I remember seeing and being amazed by all Java the creations that people had made; wire-frame, mechanical/organic constructs that ‘walked’ by way of perpetual motion. Anyone could create their own creature, adding limbs, movement and changing the psychics, it was fun and playful as well as educational.
However as the years past I forgot all about Sodaplay until I saw the Kinetic Sculptures called “Strandbeests” (Beach Creatures) by Dutch artist, Theo Jansen. They are Sodaplay creations in the wild, large skeletal works powered by the wind. Beautifully engineered their wings flap and legs scuttle, as they walk across sandy beaches, traversing both the wet sand near the shore and the softer dry sand higher up.
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The best designs are ‘bred’, creating new, more capable hybrids than can more fully transverse and understand their environment. Some models have even evolved to primitive intelligence; if they detect water, or that they are becoming trapped they’ll reverse and find another root.
Sodaplay too has evolved, the creatures can now be coloured and have a more cartoonish feel, but I think they have lost the beauty of the original creations that combined simple elements into complex designs. You can still use the older models if you want, and they have to be seen to be appreciated.
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