The Great Pretender is a journey into Dutch artist Theo Jansen’s imagination and creative process. This full-color book is filled with photographs, illustrations, and writings about Jansen’s artistic process and philosophies. The right-hand pages provide a continuous narrative, and throughout eight chapters Jansen describes the seven periods that comprise the development of the strandbeests—the enormous beach animals Jansen creates with yellow plastic tubing, string, zip ties, and bottles. Jansen views these kinetic, self-propelling sculptures as a new life form—ones that get their energy not from food but the wind. During the past two decades, the beests have evolved, and they are becoming increasingly adept at surviving storms and water from the sea. Written with gentle humor, The Great Pretender is the manifesto of an artist, scientist, and creator.

Hardcover, 240 pages.