In
fall 2003, when the Drachen Foundation first participated
in the Taipei County International Kite Festival, the event
was deemed "near perfection" and "uniquely
classy" (click
here for an account). A warm monsoon wind blew steadily,
and large, enthusiastic crowds turned out to see the "big
name fliers." In fall 2005, the festival's organization
was once again stellar, the Taiwanese welcoming, and internationally
renowned fliers eager to return. But one obstreperous guest--the
wind--had to disrupt the party. For the event's first weekend
at Green Bay in Wanli, drizzle and a muddy field failed to
deter either fliers or spectators. But during the second
weekend, at Baishawan (White Sand Bay) on the north tip of
the island, a typhoon slammed into the middle of Taiwan,
and the authorities suspended all outdoor activities midway
through Saturday.
What do kite fliers on the outskirts of a typhoon do when
they're sent indoors? The Dutch and the Taiwanese exchanged
tips on miniature kite making techniques. Australian Josephine
Melville used leftovers from her kite making workshops
to create lanterns. But most of the fliers just went back
outside. Ton Vinken of the Netherlands flew his beer
can kite outside the hotel. Karen Gamble from Australia
and Stephen Hoath from the UK ventured back onto the
field above Green Bay and flew her long-tailed stunt kite. Phil
McConnichie, also from Australia, probably went kite
boarding.
The festival's first weekend had kept fliers from fourteen
countries busy hoisting large inflatables and demonstrating
their stunt and single-line skills. Flying conditions were
challenging for the comparatively small paper-and-bamboo
kites of Greg Kono from Seattle, whose participation
in the festival the Drachen Foundation supported. But on
display indoors his kites attracted much appreciative scrutiny
from fellow fliers and visiting dignitaries alike. And after
a "bridle intervention" by Karl Hensinger from
Austria and Gadis
Widiyati from Singapore, the Drachen parafoil was
able to join other ripstop creations in the sky over Wanli.
During the following week the festival sent its international
guests to schools throughout northern Taiwan to present kite
making workshops and indoor kite flying. The Drachen Foundation
worked with students at Sheman Elementary School and Bei-Shin
Elementary School, and quickly discovered that the prevailing
winds required double sparring the Trepanier
Trapezoid kite it was teaching. One interesting twist:
students proudly decorated their kites with their student
numbers instead of their names.
Like children all over the world, Taiwanese students appreciated
the novelty of foreign visitors: they were especially enthralled
by the stunt fliers, who brought their kites inside and modified
their high-flying routines to perform in two-story gymnasia.
In one routine engineered by Kisa from Germany, assisted
by the French fliers Gregory Reynes and Loic Meunier,
children gathered in the center of the floor and looked up,
as though from the bottom of the sea, while flat skate-like
kites "swam" over their heads.
An unusual feature of this festival was the wind art performances
/ installations staged at both the festival beaches and at
Yeliou Geologic Park. Tomas
Jeckel and Kisa of Germany arranged the installation,
along with Ramlal Tien and Jean-Paul Rochon of
France and an international cast of black-clothed kiters
holding banner and kites among the "mushroom rocks" (nothing
could be affixed to the ground at the fragile site). Click
here for more images and here
to view Tomas Jeckel's website.
On the festival's final Saturday all fliers got their kites
in the air early, having been warned that a midday cancellation
was likely. Volker Hoberg from Germany and Gadis
Widiyati launched successfully; the Japanese team flying
a large American-flag parafoil could not get its kite off
the ground in the heavy wind (no political commentary intended).
The Drachen Foundation happily squeezed in its last kite
making workshop and left parents as delighted as their children
with the Trep
Trap.
Despite the cancellation, organizers Angela
Wu, her husband Jonathan, and their staff graciously
carried on with a day of sightseeing for the international
guests before their departure--a drive through a national
park and visits to the Martyrs' Shrine, the Chiang Kai
Shek Memorial Hall (no kite flying in the park), and
Taipei 101, the world's
tallest skyscraper, open to the public for less than
a year. The day ended with a tour of Pingshi, an old
mining town in the hills between Taipei and Keelung.
After a last lavish meal, the kiters sent sky lanterns
aloft, inscribed with their wishes--perhaps for winds
not so feisty in future.
|
