The Drachen Foundation is participating in a multi-faceted project to honor the twentieth anniversary of the journal, Hand Papermaking. The project also enhances Drachen's continuing initiative to enable fine artists to explore the sculptural forms of kites and to remind kite artists of paper's attractions as a material for constructing sails. Read Paper Wings 2003 and Paper Kite Artists in Residence for accounts of projects of similar scope.
First step: Mina Takahashi of Hand Papermaking commissioned Lesley Dill, an artist who has ten years of experience in making sculptures from lightweight papers, to create the design for a kite. Takahashi also solicited Gail Deery, chair of the printmaking department at Maryland Institute College of Art, and kite artist Scott Skinner to collaborate on construction. Dill, Takahashi, and Deery had extensive discussions about Dill's proposed image (tentatively called "Divide Light") and its scale. Their brainstorming was followed by telephone conversations with Skinner and Ali Fujino of the Drachen Foundation about how to take a large, flat image and make it fly. Skinner suggested handmade papers for construction; Dill selected one from the samples Hiromi Paper International of Los Angeles provided.
Dill will now create three 42-inch prototypes of the original design, two of handmade papers and one of butcher paper, on which paint can be tested. Skinner will spar the prototypes. Once the design has been refined, it will be pointed up to ten feet: the 25" by 38" handmade Japanese paper pieces will be digitally printed, tiled together, and hand colored. At the end of February, Dill will work with Geery and her students at MICA in Baltimore to produce the final sail. Skinner will then spend two to three days in Baltimore to frame the kite. The kite will be photographed for the twentieth anniversary edition of Hand Papermaking; included in the magazine (distributed to approximately two thousand subscribers) will be a miniature kite engineered by Ali Fujino from a complementary design by Dill. The kite will also be exhibited at MICA from October 1st through November 1, 2006.
Another strand of "Paper in Flight" will be launched on the other side of the world and tie in with Dill's creation at the MICA exhibit. Four established paper kite artists--Anna Rubin, István Bodóczky, Robert Trépanier, and Scott Skinner--have each invited a less experienced kite artist to explore paper as a medium for developing their skills. Alessia Marrocu of Italy, Daniela Zitzmann of Austria, Tony Bodóczky of Hungary, and Mrs. Eveline Bischof of Austria will join their mentors from March 25th through April 2, 2006 at a studio outside Kochi to learn about Japanese paper making and kite making from the Tosa kite makers. Among them will be longtime Drachen friend and master kite maker, Nobuhiko Yoshizumi. The concept for the residency was inspired by a tour of Japanese handmade paper making villages conducted in 2005 by Hiromi Katayama, founder of Hiromi Paper International in Los Angeles, who is dedicated to the use by artists of fine handmade paper.
After the residency in Japan, the work of all eight kite makers will be exhibited at the Japanese Paper Museum in Kochi, will then appear at the Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center on Maui, and will conclude its flight at MICA in Baltimore. |
Deery & Dill
Deery, Takahashi, & Dill
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