Kites and Energy Research

More than a trend, today, it’s a must to think about new energy sources, especially energy sources from the sun, the wind and the water (aka. underwater turbines and so on…)

The power from aerodynamic airborne wind power systems, airborne wind generators or aerostat-type wind power systems is maybe one of the solutions.

Like Peter Lynn (inventor of the famous Kitecat and lots of other kite devices) tells us that using a kite to pull a boat is not a new idea and still attracts lots of people. he wrote a very interesting article on his personal web site : http://www.peterlynnhimself.com/Kites_For_Yachts.php

The Kitcat at Brighton, England, December 2006

Different projects exist already all aroud the world, but i will start by a sytem to power cargo ships and saving oil by 10 to 35%. – It’s better than nothing, takes less space than regular sails and the most important saves lot’s of money ( 1500 USD a day) so it can be interresting when the price of fuel rises…

Two firms are making kites for boats and are very near to sell their products :

•1• – A small american company : Saving fuel with kite for sail

http://kiteforsail.com/

•2• – A bigger german company : SkySails GmbH :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkySails

http://s2.streamingfarm.tv/streamingfarm/Skysails/Beaufort_Explanationvideo_512k.wmv

in French :
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beluga_SkySails
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkySails
http://www.carnetdevol.org/actualite/cargo/skysails.htm

The Skysails system

Skysails

Skysails

A new Bathroom Routine by the FLIC team

A new dancing routine – to compare with the other revolution kites routine they fly (see on this site !) filmed during the summer 2009 by them !

Kiteflying under WATER / Cerf-volant sous l’eau

A new video from the Taiwainese kite flyer Deryl Yeh including the Scubadoo :

Here is an amazing project created by Thomas JECKEL (a great artist working with the wind (Kites, Flags and landart installations) – and one of the organizers of the peace organisation : ” ONE SKY, ONE WORLD”.

The specs and order a kite here :
http://drachenmanufaktur.com/ksf/kites/scubadoo.htm/

All the pictures are there :
http://www.drachenmanufaktur.de/gallery/v/kite-art/scubakite/

http://subvision.net/kitedive/events/thailand/march2002-1.htm

This was developped between 2002 and 2006 :
http://subvision.net/kitedive/index.htm

and lots of articles of the Berouth fly in 2002 :
http://subvision.net/kitedive/2002elements-pressreport.htm

Graphic Design and kites : The festivals posters

As a graphic designer and a kite flyer myself i am very sensible about the posters designed to promote festivals. Unfortunatly, i can tell very few are good, even if the kites which are presented are amazing, and if the kite flyers are very sensible to art, paintings, and drawing, because it’s all they do : decorate the sky.

Here is a very interesting collection of them mainly from France, but also Germany or Taiwan :

http://affichescv.free.fr/

Graphic Design at the 2007 Berck Festival, France.

RED BULL AIR FORCE in Moscow

A great video of the amazing mainly french team sponsord by Red Bull flying over the water. (Thanks to MetalFubu, Russia)

The RED BULL AIR FORCE with 4 amazing kite flyers multi-world and european champions : Numata Yasumasa, Richard Debray, Mathieu Mayet & Ramlal Tien.

The first live Graphic Design Competition on Rokkakus

Moscow, Russia, 8 & 9 May 2009
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Kites used to be great flying machines during wars in China, to observe from flying platforms. They were also used for all sorts of things like fishing in north Salawesi (Indonesia) since hundreds years ago, used to pull radio antenas (the Marconi invention or radios antenas used to be saved after a plane crash during the world war II used by english) or pelenty of other inventions with kites : “www.carnetdevol.org”

Today, kites are kids games and for fewer people, adults games.
They are also meant to decorate the sky, as paintings or sculptures in the sky. That’s why Kite designers are often artists, painters and designers. that is one of the reason i love flying kites. Even kite flyers who use very technical stunt kites for freestyle flying want nice kites with great graphic design.

Some people like Michel GRESSIER in France, like to paint on their kites. He, for exemple, proposed a few years ago to some his graphic designers friends to paint on big Edos kites ( 2 x 4m rectangular japanes kites).

“www.le-ciel-pour-cimaise.com”

Michel Gressier's Kites

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In the same idea, the Moscow kite club organised during his may 2009 festival (the 6th festival), a great event : the ZapfGames, a calligraphy projects (GREEK : calli=beauty / graphy=Hand) or the art of drawing nice letters. More than 50 participants painted on 2×2 sqm sheets Japanese Haiku. A jury of graphic designers chose 10 winners and after adding bamboo, flew 20 great rokkakus together. (Thank you for Mike LOSKOV for sharing those informations – www.prokite.ru )

It seems to me that the ZapfGames are named after Hermann ZAPF and his wife Gudrun ZAPF von HESSE ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Zapf ) one of the greatest typographer of the century ( with his great Optima, Palatino and Zapfino (you have them in you computer if you have a Mac)
sorry i dont read russian but it must be explained on zapfgames.ru…

The great life of Hermann ZAPF on the Linotype site :
http://www.linotype.com/en/1494/thelifestoryofhermannzapf.html?PHPSESSID=358ed0ef14662769febbe6d3ca9336bc

Everything about the ZAPFGAMES 09 (especially all the pictures – click on the right handside pictures)

“www.zapfgames.ru”

“www.flickr.com”

“http://atarbeev.livejournal.com”

More calligraphy :