Premiere of The Irrational Optimist in Cineteca Nacional

“People think I think about something and then consequently set out to solve it, yet it is not the case. In fact, I tend to be very naive: a kind of irrational optimist.” This is how Theo Jansen defines himself in the intense and brilliant conversation that gives life to this documentary, produced by our Foundation together with the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage of Chile, and carried out by Víctor Leyton (Mandarina Productions), with images of his visit to Chile, on a trip through mountain ranges to the sea, accompanied by one of his animaris, kinetic sculptures presented in the exhibition Algoritmos del viento (Wind Algorithms) at the Cerrillos National Center for Contemporary Art in Santiago, reveals his thoughts as he watches the condors fly over the Andes mountain range.

“My ideas can be understood as a mutation, and mutations, in general, do not work, so it is the animaris itself that suggests other mutations that are much better ideas than mine. This is the total opposite of what is considered intelligent design,” says Theo Jansen without any false modesty. In this documentary we are introduced to his creative process, so simple, erratic and playful, his absolute and continuous surprise before nature, the evolution of life and possible ways of understanding the human-nature relation through creativity and art.

• For more information about the documentary click here.