1000 Kites Project: Knotted Ladder

Art Activation in Miami, FL

Curated by Pia Cruzalegui and Paola Lopez

Find out more about 1000 Kites Project here

2020.

The 1000 Kites project is reminiscent of a childhood folktale that I grew up with --  a thousand cranes, also known as Senbazuru. Senbazuru is 1000 origami cranes linked together on one single string. This massive object is a symbol of peace, good fortune, and gratitude. This project reminded me of it, not only because of the symbolic references to the number 1000 in my cultural background but also because of the historical connotation of kites as a symbol of joy, prosperity, and technological developments of humankind. 

This year, 2020, unlike the meanings that live behind Senbazuru, has been a year that has been hostile, unfortunate, and a year full of questions and unknowns. My proposed kite, “Knotted Ladder” is an ode to these feelings and experiences of 2020, which is manifested in a massive ladder that intertwines itself. A laddered maze that is flown in the sky, with no beginning or end, thus unreachable and void of a ladder’s original function. The kite body itself is designed based on the parafoil kite, which historically inspired the creation of paragliders and parachutes, which are both are known as devices worn on the human body to act as bird wings. This historical connotation ties directly into the conceptual intent of my kite’s inabilities, both on the physical and psychological level. The kite will be made of bamboo sticks and transparent plastics, which will create a visual effect of a three-dimensional ladder object being flown into the sky.