Amy
The joy of seeing someone else enjoying, might be the life motto of Amy. Amy is a professional restaurant manager, who runs two restaurants just a bit outside of Taipei. At the same time she loves cooking, but for all, she loves to see how other people enjoy, what she has been cooking or the drinks she makes. She collects nice meals of many countries and in her restaurant, you can eat anything from any country. If she doesn’t know how to make it, she will find out and you will be surprised. Amy has an everlasting smile on her face. No matter how tired she might be.
And after work ? Well, just have fun with people. Help them to be creative or enjoy the crowd by playing her Erhoe or a nice and good chat. Time doesn’t seem to matter. People and let people have a very nice time is more what she seems to have as her favourite goal for life, whilst enjoying it all herself.
Thanks Amy for all you did for me and for all of us. I think there must be thousands of people, who should thank you for the nice way of giving them from yourself whilst these people learned a bit more of themselves.
The kite
And yes. My goal was to make a kite with her picture, which perhaps no-one has ever seen. Special parts have been made to make this 16-pointed star of 3.60 meters. The kite flies very well in many winds. A flight like I could learn to know Amy. It has over 15 colours of purple. Its tail of over 30 m. is of an extraordinary deep purple and waves more gentle than any tail I have ever seen.
Dharma
If you hear someone saying she is studying her own way and does take as less colleges as possible and you are down south India near Mangalore, I am sure you are talking to Dharma. And she does not just that. She wants full information and seems not to rest. She is not just taking care of herself in that way, but also for many family and friends. It seems that Dharma can’t have enough friends around. She loves people and what they have to tell and she listens and listens and takes it along as something like a souvenir, which should be remembered. Especially if then new people from other continents pass by. She will take nighttrains so she is sure not to miss anything. And… what she promises, she keeps. Diplomatic in a way, but honesty first. What a great girl. What a great Indian behave. What a Dharma.
The kite
For me it was for sure that a kite with Dharma on it can’t be a normal kite. This kite is my newest special design. No kite looks like this. The crown is what is all new for kiters, but at the same time this goes also for the rest. The yellow kite (over 8 colours of yellow) will be a star in the sky, because of the difference of the looks. Of course the 20 m. tail will contribute to that as well, but , in this case, is just a feature.
Elsa
The enthusiasm in many, many things is an outstanding part of Elsa. She has the patience to look and listen and sometimes….. Yes, a born marketeer and a born person for public relations. Very much Taiwanees in her blood and she shows. Always a hand free to help, but also very good in looking at a distance and thinking and concluding about what is happening. Elsa. In one word hard to say, who she is, but she loves humanity and all that it takes. She does something to kae it happen for her and other people. For that a real person for BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. She takes care of everyone, who has the need for and she will give all she has to make it a wish come true.
The kite
Most kiters will call this a FLAIR, but I have to disappoint you. The wings are also spread out on the downside rigger and therefore has more square meters to fly on. The reason for that is the almost 30 meters tail, which this kite carries. The 3.60 m. Wide wingspan and 2.60 m. Hight take care of nice power on a nice kite. All that in red as that is the favourite colour of Elsa.
Hafizah
She was a big help for me at a kite festival in Malaysia. “Just call me Fizah, that’s what all my friends do” and her big smile followed. The smile you see on the kite. She helped with everything. In fact that also was her job as she was hired to be a help-out. But she did it in a special way. Helped from morning till evening or what time she could put in. At the same time she took care of her little brother and sister. In a group she made a nice small Wau (national Malaysian kite), which I later got and have it hanging full of proud for her at home. Anna was her teacher and the group enjoyed learning about kites from other countries.
Fizah is one of these beautiful people as she is someone, who can give with a big smile and never will ask. Someone worth to take care of and do nice things for.
The kite
The kite is as special as Fizah is. A complete new design although its forebarers can be found in kite-history. Originally designed as an Edo, I thought the complex bridle doesn’t fit the character of Fizah. The size stayed. Some framework has been left out and a new way of flying has come : this kite has no bridle and flies by only putting the line at one particular point. Several tails can be fitted. The colour Fizah choose for this kite is pink. It has over 9 different colours of pink in it.
Inchi
If you have any question, don’t call for Inchi. Her real name is Ann and the name Inchi was just made up by some friends of her, because she is so tiny- so about a few inches… But Inchi is utmost reliable and she will solve anything you want to know or have questions about. And she has the guts to try to do anything the world offers. You want to make a mask ? Inchi helps. You want to know the shortest way to town? Inchi helps you out. And if you want her to play as a donkey for a huge audience…. Inchi does. One of those people, who is always around when you need help or need things done. In fact she just shouldn’t earn a kite with her picture on, but a huge statue in the middle of her hometown Taipei !
The kite
Many told me that a rectangular kite can’t fly on its long side. Well…. this kite does. As you now know this kite has something of Inchi. Special framework of different materials take care of a nice flight. The kite is about 1.20 m high and its width is about 2.50 m. Lovely to see this mint/blue kite flying with its tail of over 20 meters.
Jiahui
There she was: from the middle of nowhere and searching for her group. But… we were only two persons, who were representing the people from The Netherlands. So we helped her a bit by putting the country-sign in her hands for the general opening of one of Taiwans kitefestivals. We just broke the ice for her. That gave a new Jiahui. She started talking. And she had been preparing well for the people she was gonna meet. One of her first questions was “what is going Dutch” and that broke the ice for the second time.
Jiahui is a very hard working student. She choose to study and she puts in a lot of effort in that. She has several jobs to make her dreams come true and then she even takes care of her friends and pals. She wants to be an independent woman in the big world and she is gonna manage, I am sure. Her strong character is her best help as is her big heart. By being the Jiahui she is or more like her favourite cartoonfriend Garfield ?
Jiahui has also become the face of BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. She is astonished why it is her, but I hope I could make that clear after you read, what I have seen what she does for herselves and humanity. Jiahui : you are a great girl and wish you to have your best dreams come true. Even by sometimes being a real Garfield : grrrrrr…….
The kite
Of course Jiahui earns a special kite, which is extraordinary with many features, which make it extra different. The box flies with and without tail, which is not normal for a Boxkite. The hight is about 2.60 m and the width about 2.70 m. A huge box, which is as stable in the air as Jiahui is in her life. And all that in her favourite colour (and that had nothing to do with me!) being over 8 different kind colours of orange. The tail is about 17.- m. long.
Yowono
Have you ever seen a very enthusiastic kiteflier? I can tell you that this one is. And he owns a lot of knowledge about kitemaking. He just takes a look. A master in bamboo and paper, but also in ripstop and many other materials. A champ at the sewingmachine. He takes care of the best bamboo for your kite, but also the best bridles come from his hands. He has a fine nose for nature and seems to specialise in the wind. Not only generous to his hobby, where kiting is just one of them. Also a fine man to talk to and to hear and give. Someone, who takes very good care of people. You can see for yourself if you ever see him on the field or when he takes care of his very nice children. He will tell you: Just call me Yono and if you are in a hurry for his advice at a critical moment even Yon will do.
The kite
This kind (original design by the Japanese Eiji Ohashi) of kites, is one of the models Yowono loves. He made a lot of them and I learned from him. So the best shape to fit to him in my series. Of course : NO bridle… just one attaching point.
In addition to these few examples of Otto’s fabulous work, you can also find some of his information brochures and notes below.