Portland Mini Maker Faire #2
Continuing on from my previous post about the Portland Mini Maker Faire. There simply was too much to put into one post, and my brain is on fire both from 'downloading' from the event and prepping for the World Maker Faire this weekend.
Someone else was at the Maker Faire this weekend, and while he wasn't in the booth building kites, he made a HUGE impact doing the thing that he loves the most. Some folks have met him before, and for those that haven't, he is an amazing person, and an absolutely impressive performer. For quite some time Scott has been flying sport kites (both dual line and quad line), and often times these days you can find him either traveling to or from an event. Even tho I have watched him fly countless times, I am still amazed at the range of emotion and depth in each performance and how it can differ. There are a hundred other layers to this quiet man, and you put a kite in his hand and he can connect with just about anyone without saying a thing.
But, I am waxing poetic about him, so maybe I should move on. :)
Over the weekend, Scott came down to the event site and whipped out a few of his performance quad line kites. Alternating between flying out in front of the museum for everyone to see, and down the walkway between the booths. People were not only shocked that a kite could fly in an urban area like this (a common sentiment most urban and indoor fliers encounter), but they were amazed that here was a large kite -slightly bigger than a man- slipping and sliding between people, hovering over their heads, and lightly tapping on tents. Like most urban environments, this was a rather tricky area to fly. Tumbling breezes along the river would spill into the trees that lined the lot we had our booth in. Mix into that the freeway passing overhead, and regular freight trains rumbling by on the other side of the street. You don't realize how turbulent and messy the wind is in an industrial space till you attempt to fly in it.
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I did a little Q and A with Scott after the event
Q: Was this your first Maker Faire or Maker Event? What did you think?
A: Yes it was, I like the wide variety of creative technology and nuts and bolts
Q: Do you consider yourself a maker?
A: No, i make invisible art in the wind, it disappears as soon as i leave track .
Q: You are well known for your ability to fly kites, and you are pretty amazing at flying in shall we say difficult indoor and urban environments. How does this location and event stack up? Anything that was different or unique?
A: The fellow exhibitors make for an appreciative audience, that is different from cops chasing you from private property.
Q: A lot of folks say that after attending or showing at a maker event, they feel inspired. Do you?
A: Yes, I do.. I used a sewing machine the next time i got the chance, i made a feather
Q: What was something that stood out or caught your attention?
A: Just the freedom of expression from all the artists.
Q: You are a busy man, where are you headed to next?
A: Portland to Boston today. Friday to Cherry Valley, Ny, Sunday back to Boston to Bintulu, then back to Boston for New Jersey, then China for a week, 27 days before I come back home