CityLife

A beast at Shift Time in Shrewsbury

Umerus - the 'Strandbeest'

IF you’re heading down to Shrewsbury this summer, be prepared for quite a beast. That’s the Strandbeest, who goes by the name of Umerus. A creation of Dutch kinetic artist Theo Jansen, he’ll be appearing as part of Shift Time, a Festival Of Ideas which takes place from July 3 to July 12.

With materials including plastic electrical tubing and two litre water bottles, he may sound like a Blue Peter creation. In reality, even though he’s made of these materials, the actual construction of a mechanical, creature-like device is far from that.  

At 13 metres long, the huge energy needed to power the creature is all garnered from the wind. This taken into account, you can see how Theo Jansen was awarded an Honorary Prix D’Ars prize for his "singular contribution to art and science".  

Is it exactly this blend of mechanical structure and beauty of wind power which captivates the onlooker. Luckily, you can see him for free. Between July 4 and July 5, Umerus will be at QuarryPark. After that, he’s off to St Mary’s Church from July 6 to July 12.  

As part of the Theo Jansen exhibition, the modern invention and science behind ‘Umerus’ contrasts spectacularly with the 14th century stained glass art of the redundant church. You can see the exhibition Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm. On Saturday and Sunday it’s open 10am to 4pm.  

If you’re there on July 11, you’ll have a chance to meet the designer himself. There’s an animated talk at 4pm, tickets costing £5 each. You can prebook by calling 01743 281 281 or have a look on the website for more information.  

For more information, visit the links on the right.