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Table of Contents

on The Cover:

Yancy Wright is changing the face of kiteboarding, one wave at a time.

Photo: Laura Aquino with the author.

July 2013

EDITORS

Scott Skinner
Ali Fujino
Katie Davis

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Scott Skinner
Martin Lester
Joe Hadzicki
Stuart Allen
Dave Lang
Jose Sainz
Ali Fujino

BOARD OF DIRECTORS EMERITUS

Bonnie Wright
Wayne Wilson
Keith Yoshida

Drachen Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation devoted to the increase and diffusion of knowledge about kites worldwide.

WWW.DRACHEN.ORG

From The Editors

As we are wrapping up this issue of Discourse and I make preparations to travel to Fanø for the annual kite meeting, I am reminded how large the world of kiting is and how kites capture the imagination of people of all ages, interests, and motivations.

This issue is anchored by Uli Wahl and Paul Chapman’s won- derful article on the Vietnamese Di`êu kites. Careful docu- mentation and research have led, to what I believe to be, an authoritative view of these elusive kites. Thorough research is also evident in Frits Sauvé’s latest study of the oldest kite in the western world.

India’s Ajay Prakash is profiled in his first person essay where he delightfully describes the “three kinds of people who look up at the sky – children, madmen and kite flyers.” We follow Whitney Richardson, co-founder of the inspirational Kite Col- lective, as she attends her first U-Make workshop, meeting the community of kiters that make this such a special event.

Our new friends at Spoonflower, an internet based custom fabric company, were inspired by an image of a Betty Street kite and used their artistic skills and the tools of the print fab- ric world to create a “flight kite quilt.” Yancy Wright’s voyage as a winner of the Cabrinha Quest describes his fascination with kiteboarding as well as his commitment to the environ- ment. Kite workshops far away in remote Yavi Chico, South America, remind us that the simplest of materials can be used to teach and delight young kitemakers.

You’ll find even more as you page through this issue of Discourse. Remember, we can’t publish Discourse without you, so if you have ideas for future articles, let us know at info@drachen.org.

Scott Skinner Board President

Drachen Foundation

Scott Skinner

Monument, Colorado

A former Air Force instructor pilot, Drachen’s board president has flown and designed kites for three decades. Today, Skinner is known as a  world class, visionary kite artist.

Whitney Richardson

Chicago, Illinois

Whitney Richardson is co-founder of the Kite Collective, a nonprofit group of artists that use kites as a platform to connect with the environment, community and self in a way that is transient and magical. She runs No Lights No Lycra Chicago at Defibrillator Performance Art Gallery. Whitney isa food justice & human rights activist, writer and interdisciplinary artist. She is based in Chicago, IL.

Courtesy of Whitney Richardson

Darci Moyers, Rebecca McCoy,

Gart Davis

Raleigh, North Carolina

Darci lives in Raleigh, NC and works in Durham as part of the Spoonflower team where she enjoys working with creative folks and supporting the DIY community. Becca started at Spoonflower upon finishing a master’s degree in cultural anthropology at North Carolina

State University and enjoys working in an environment where creativity and learning opportunities abound. Gart is the co-founder of Spoonflower, which began in 2008 and is the world’s first internet-based custom fabric printing service and design community.

Diana Ross

Barioloche, Argentina

A former English teacher, Ross has been a kitemaker for over 12 years. She has shared her knowledge and passion for kites by offering workshops for all ages, especially children and young people at risk.

Roberto Trinchero

Barioloche, Argentina

Roberto Trinchero, a particle physicist,

has flown and designed kites since 2006.

Ajay Prakash

Mumbai, India

Indian travel agent Prakash has led numerous “desert kite tours” in India and conceived and organized many national and international kite events throughout the country. This veteran kite flyer writes about the sport that knows no barriers of caste, color, creed, race or social status.

Frits Sauvé

Diemen, Netherlands

Sauvé spends a great deal of time in the world of historic kites. He collects everything that can be collected and visits archives, flea markets, and antiquarian bookstores. He also lectures, writes articles, and rebuilds classic kites.

Uli Wahl

Weinheim, Germany

Wahl is interested in natural sciences, ethnology and meteorology. His study of wind-produced music naturally led him to kite-born musical instruments. His website www.windmusik.com is widely regarded as the first point of contact for anyone interested in wind music.

Paul Chapman

Bristol, England

As the leading authority on the kite history of Great Britain, Chapman is a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society and has done extensive research on S.F. Cody’s kites and airplanes and continues to interact with kite historians throughout Europe.

Ali Fujino

Seattle, Washington

After 20 magical years as executive director of Drachen, and transitioning DF online, Ali has moved to a fulltime position with the Alaska Wilderness League, protecting America’s largest public land.

She continues her involvement with Drachen as a member of the board.

Articles

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