Authors: Ben Ruhe
Date Submitted: February 28, 2003
Article Type: Journal

Pierre Fabre, of Paris, makes spectacular kites, not just for their large size alone but for their images too. Classic examples on these pages, chosen from Fabre’s own photographic portfolio of 30,000 images, taken mostly in the Asian countries of Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Indonesia and China, as well as Brazil, make the point graphically.

Fabre (pier.fabre@wanadoo.fr) hopes one day to do a book using a selection of these shots, which include wind constructions. He also proposes an atlas of kites of the world. As an ex-illustrator, he would not only picture kites but describe them, add maps, and make drawings as needed. He also plans research trips to document specific kites. One that caught his eye on his travels is the Kasuza Tojin-dako found in a community near Tokyo. Large and oddly shaped—-it’s an oval surmounted by two circles and musical bow, with complicated bamboo architecture——the kite is made exclusively by locals. No professional makes the kite. The Tojin-dako, Fabre comments, is an example of the locally indigenous kites which make Asia so fascinating for kite lovers.

His next projects? After making back-ordered specialty kites, Fabre wants to branch out into installations using kites and wind musical instruments. He plans an inflated forest of giant trees for placement outdoors. These would be closely related to kites, only an ensemble. “I want to occupy space rather than make single objects,” he says. “Size still matters. I like things big.”

PDF Link: Journal Issue