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10 Kite Stories You May Have Missed in 2019 - Part 1

You will undoubtedly hear it all year, that hindsight is 2020. (har har... get used to it. :) ) With that in mind I am going to kick off this year with stories in the kite world that you may have missed in 2019. I have a bunch more stories to publish... but you will have to tune in tomorrow to find out which ones!



 

Kite Emoji - This one has been in the works for a few years and 2019 finally saw the addition of a kite symbol to the ever increasing 'emojipedia'. Perhaps you saw it, or perhaps you have already used it in your text conversations with friends. Whether it was Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Facebook, or one of the other platforms, we are raising a glass high and figuring out the newest ways to incorporate a kite emoji into all of our conversations.

For more information go to: https://emojipedia.org/kite/


 

Epcot Forever -

Another great show from Bruce Flora and the crew at Kiteman Productions. It is a nightly 12 minute show covering the greatest hits of original songs written for the parks attractions. While the kites are not the central feature of the show (arguably the pyrotechnics are) they make a few appearances to the delight of the crowd. In fact it has to be one of the most talked about parts of the show... OUTSIDE of the traditional kite community! Bravo to the crew for making it look effortless. By the way, if you look closely you can see that the kite fliers themselves are piloting the kites from the back of Jet Skis that are being driven around a lagoon. No easy feat in the middle of the night.


 

Quad Mega Fly World Record

Video coverage of the successful 101 quad line mega fly at Washington State International Kite Festival, Long Beach, WA on August 23, 2019. Pilots of all skills from around the world came together to make this happen over a three day 'training/coordinating' period. This record attempt was created by John Barresi of KiteForge and Kitelife.com. You can find out more about him, his kites, and the mission he is on at: https://kiteforge.com/

 

World Record Kite Stack Flight at WSIKF

Video coverage of the successful 20 Stacks/Pilots (117 quads) World Record attempt organized by Dylan Nguyen, Alden Miller and Nic O'Neill on August 19th, 2019 at Long Beach, Washington at the Washington State International Kite Festival.

 

Randy Shannon Kite Art display -

Northern Arizona University's College of Arts and Letters Academic Adviser Randy Shannon put on a large exhibit titled 'Celebrate the Sky' featuring his unique kites. This one popped up somewhat quietly in the news, however it has been sparking the interest of many students into the differences and complexities of kites outside of the traditional diamond shape.


 

Louis Vuitton Kite Fashion -


Famed fashion icon Louis Vuitton debuted their Men's Spring 2020 show replete with kites as a part of the overall theme. From the DIY kite with the classic LV monogram as the invitation to the rather interesting choice of box kites and stunt kites to help accessorize the look of the Louis Vuitton Bags. The DIY kite-invite is an awesome touch and is exceptionally laid out with elegantly printed instructions. The fashion side of it... well... lets leave that one up to the folks willing to spend the large amount of money on that matching monogrammed LV box kite and hope that it flies. Perhaps they can use the bags as an anchor. It will only set you back a few grand.





 

Kite Quest Missouri -

An amazing public art project popped up to celebrate the bicentennial of Franklin County Missouri. 125 stainless steel kites were each decorated with a unique design. Folks are encouraged to try and find them all and to share the experience online. Go check out the hashtag #ifoundakite on instagram to see a handful of the ones that folks have found around the county!















 

Kite 'Choir'

"Iowa State University assistant professor of architecture Firat Erdim is at the end of the kite string, slowly turning the crank on a wooden instrument called a hurdy-gurdy, which he fashioned himself and has attached to the kite string. An eerie, haunting sound emerges from the instrument, which is picking up vibrations from the wind and water. The sound undulates as the string moves back and forth... "




 

Disney creates an all new VR Short Film - A kite's Tale -


While there is currently no public video of the film, check out this video from the director of the VR short to learn more about it.



 

Death of Francisco Toledo -

Celebrated Mexican painter that was admired for his expressionistic art that dealt centrally with themes around the Oaxaca region and its people. As he grew older he used kites more and more. "He decorated them with stencils of grasshoppers, turtles and shrimp, and prints of elephants with monkeys and skeletons, exhibiting a playfulness that simmered below the surface of much of his work and life.

But even in its most whimsical states, Toledo’s art was never too far removed from the social causes of the day. In December 2014, from his studio in Oaxaca, Mexico, he made a series of kites adorned with portraits of the “43,” or the 43 college students who were missing — disappeared allegedly by criminal and state forces in the neighboring state of Guerrero that year."




 

Tune in tomorrow to find out even more stories about art, the people that inspire us, and how kites have been helping with advances in science and technology! Oh, and the rest of this week will be filled with tons of other good information like: The best kite videos of the year, and perhaps some kite artists that you have never heard of that you should really be paying attention to. Thanks for stopping in!


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