On the beach of the winds
Pictures of a Mysterious Island
There are places in this world that defy scientific explanation. One of these places is the legendary island of Moutere Hau, hidden somewhere in the vastness of the South Pacific. Its exact location remains a mystery, as the few sailors who have ever reached it have never been able to find it again.
When I luckily stepped onto Takutai Hau, the legendary “beach of the winds”, I immediately understood why this island is so special. The golden sand stretches for miles, while something that I initially thought was a mirage hovered above me: Houses floating above the dunes like castles in the air, anchored in the sand only by thick ropes. The locals explained to me that a mysterious gravitational anomaly combined with the constant winds made these architectural wonders possible.
Along the beach, I watched in fascination as the beach gliders and enormous structures on high stilts crawled across the sand like oversized mechanical beetles, propelled by the force of the wind alone. Scattered between the dunes are the silent witnesses of failed attempts to get closer: Wrecks of small fishing boats whose compasses failed due to the island’s strong magnetic disturbances.
The people of Moutere Hau themselves are particularly impressive. They live a simple but fulfilling life in their floating dwellings. Their ingenious flying machines can be seen everywhere in the sky – lightweight constructions reminiscent of traditional box kites, but which glide through the air with astonishing precision. The reduced gravity makes this form of locomotion not only possible, but also practical.
The inhabitants have adapted perfectly to the unique conditions of their island. They use the forces of nature not as opponents, but as partners. Their technology may seem simple, but they have developed a deep understanding of the harmony between wind, gravity and life itself.
During my stay, I was lucky enough to be able to capture the unique phenomena of this mysterious island in photographs. These photos later served me as a template for numerous detailed drawings, which you can find here on this website. They show the floating houses in all their splendor, the elegant beach sailors on their daily trip over the Takutai Hau and the fascinating flying machines of the locals over the dunes of the island.
When I left the island after two weeks, I realized that I had visited one of the last truly magical places on earth. A place where the laws of physics go their own way and people live a peaceful life in harmony with these anomalies. Perhaps it is a good thing that Moutere Hau is hidden from most visitors – so this unique paradise can keep its secrets.
There are also a large number of sculptures on the beach. Their significance is not known. They look very modern with their simple, clear forms.
The arrival of the new large planes on the beach of the winds has caused excitement among the beach residents. However, there are also quite a few who view these flying objects with concern.
Nothing is ordinary on the beach of the winds. Not the small huts that people use for changing, not the strange planes that fly low over the beach and certainly not the unique flying houses.
Some of the flying machines that can be seen on the beach of the winds are reminiscent of the adventurous flight of Icarus from Greek mythology. But despite the laws of nature as we know them, they do not crash, but circle above the beach with a certain elegance.
The impressive airships on the beach of winds are primarily intended to supply the residents. They can silently transport large loads such as building materials for the flying houses to the beach. Where the houses are supposed to float above the beach.
It is the winds on this beach that perform miracles and make things fly like you can’t see anywhere else. However, they can also be a destructive force. The many boat wrecks on the beach bear witness to this.
Or, can AI be creative? In really every article and in every discussion about art and AI, these questions are asked again and again. The answers offered are very different. The question alone reveals that the panellists have probably not dealt intensively with the practical application of imaging neural networks. However, the clear answer to the question must be no (at least so far and when the question is posed in this way).