Notes of
Kite Artist

Stories of
Kite Artist

Treasures of
Kite Artist

Honors of
Kite Artist

Connections through Kites

Creations of SkyDreamer

　　Buteo Huang is a locally and globally famous kite artist. In order to understand what people think about him, we organized relevant reports, both domestic and international, and interviewed Teacher Huang’s family and colleagues, reporters who have written reports on him, experts who have written commentaries on him, and of course we six fans’ truth.

 

Interviewee: Teacher Huang’s wife

　　The very first time I met my husband was when he came to the marble shop that I was working for. He was operating an interior design company at the time. I thought that kite-flying was only his hobby and it would be nice to go outdoors flying kites. I came to realize further how he has been passionate and crazy about kite-flying. He often leaves home alone at midnight to test his just-finished kites. Once at a winter rainy night he held a crashed kite home telling me that ’look! This is the master piece I have worked for several months. It’s really “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

　　I have supported him as always when seeing how many efforts he has invested wholeheartedly. Sometime I even share corporately some of his workload. I am deeply glad that I could share his honor when he wins prizes and praise. He spends no time at all in hollow words and strives day and night for the goals that he is eager to complete. And I want to tell him that ‘it is so wonderful to be with you.’

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Interviewee: Teacher Huang’s son

　　In my eyes, my father is always well-prepared. On holidays, my father takes us to fly kites in parks and to close to Nature in mountains because he believes that Nature is the best teacher. We do an excellent job in our study. My older brother has been accepted by the top-one high school Jianguo High School, which is my father’s alma mater. Basically, my father respects our choices and trusts us. He expects us to find the answer on our own when we face challenges in study, and to do entertainment and study separately because they are two different stories. I would love to seize the chance and tell my father that thank you for doing a great job raising us up.

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Interviewee: Rui-Yuan Guo, teacher Huang’s assistance

　　2006Once on a planning meeting in 2006, my co-worker suggested that we invite the international kite master Buteo Huang. I did not know who teacher Huang is at the time. I met teacher Huang after inviting him on phone and visiting his studio. During the Taoyuan Sinwu Art Kite Festival, we gathered over hundred people as a flying dreams team and experienced excitement about hovering in the sky through kites! Later I continued planning some exhibitions for teacher Huang. I have become teacher Huang’s fan and assistance, who has assisted in photography and exhibition management, and has been up in the air with teacher Huang’s dreams.

　　Planning on exhibitions with teacher Huang refreshes me every time. Sometimes we raced against time at midnight such as those in Taoyuan International Airport and in Sin Kong Mitsukoshi. Sometimes we enjoyed beautiful scenery in Penhu Kite Festival and danced with waves of rice fields in Taitung. Every exhibition is novel experience. The most difficult one was to hold exhibitions around Taiwan, which was energy-consuming and patience-consuming. Any teny tiny mistakes are not allowed because delays would mess up the following schedule and creations could not be completed in time. Planning in advance thus is really critical. And exhibitions amaze everyone again and again.

　　Teacher Huang is the best artist I have ever known, who balances the ideal and reality by having his feet on the ground. He performs creations everyday, everyday he can fly kites. From the rooftop of his place to school sports fields, he can fly kites anywhere. He can build kites with any materials including trash bags and newspapers. Once we finished the preparation for an exhibition in Taitung, teacher Huang flied kites along with everlasting waves of rice fields, where there were boundless mountains accompanied by clouds on the yonder side. The newly-finished kites made by teacher Huang were such a spectacular scene flying with waves of rice fields. I was nearly exhausted under the continuously strong sunlight at noon while teacher Huang still enjoyed himself very much.

　　What I admire teacher Huang most is that he accordingly fulfills his dreams. He is more than an excellently professional interior designer. He not only combines principles of architecture that he learned in college with perspective of interior designer but also applies advanced materials such as nonwoven fabric and water-proof Tyvek paper to kite creations. He creates kites with Taiwanese and his own style, which are beautiful and distinctive decorative arts. From the Dawu traditional fishing vessel, face of Kuan-Kung, to flying fish and so on, teacher Huang’s kites that represent Taiwan have exhibited in museums around the world many times. They are not only the kites flying in the sky but also successful national diplomacy. New York Times once reported on his works with the title ‘His Visions of Taiwan Soar, From a Very Long String.’

　　I asked teacher Huang if I could fly Left Dragon since the zodiac animal this year is Chinese Dragon. Well, if this wish would come true, in fact I would not dare to fly the kite that costs several million dollars. Taking a picture with the kite would be enough! I really hope that teacher Huang’s dream of establishing a kite museum could come true in the near future.

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Interviewee: Elementary school teacher Ya-Mei Chang

　　I met teacher Huang In a teacher workshop for the kite art in 2005. I learned profoundly through Buteo Huang’s passionate devotion to kite art and wholehearted teaching style.

　　Teacher Huang is always concentrated on kites and talks all about kites. He came to an idea of making kites with ordinary wrapping paper when he looked at the paper. He though how wonderful it would be to build a dragonfly kite once he picked up a dead body of a dragonfly and saw the beautiful structures of its wings. It seems to be a difficult job for outsiders. However, what artists insist and involve in is the perfection they pursuit deep down in their heart. I deeply admire teacher Huang’s fully devotion to kites.

　　We can realize teacher Huang’s persistence and determination in kites through his biography. For example, creations of various unique-style kites, insistence on materials to make kites, and uncompromising tests on flying and building kites, all of which are elements contribute to teacher Huang’s success. Teacher Huang tells better stories than I do. I only remember one small thing that teacher Huang composed himself amid adversity under the huge pressure of media and opinions when he was responsible for the very opening exhibition of National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall in 2008. Believing in following his own rules of art, he perfectly completed the exhibition without being influenced by public opinions.

　　Teacher Huang is always creative and makes his next move splendid. Stories he tell and his creations are so alluring. I would love to say to teacher Huang that the sky scenery is more fascinating because of you.

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Interviewee:
Dr. Heng-Biao Jin, who is an ecologist and a doctor in earth science

　　I think the most interesting part constructing toys by your hands lies in the magic-like process that from none to being, from imagination to entity, from failure to success, and from an original to the satisfying production in the end. Along the endless process, it is legendary if you could equip yourself with unique expertise and become a master in the end. Buteo Huang is exactly the kite maker that has contributed himself for over three decades. He is not only a precious kite master domestically and globally; the kites he has created have internationally swept kite fields. Many children give up their delights in life because of adults’ dissuasions. There are only few people can continue their enjoyments and develop into lifelong hobbies. It is blessed that Buteo Huang can continue his boyhood dream and make it lifetime career.

　　Buteo Huang is not only a magician fulfilling his boyhood dream but also an engineer and artist making adult dreams come true. What distinguishes Buteo Huang from other amateurs is that his hobby and profession complement each other. He graduated from architecture and combines academic knowledge with kite making, from the early stage of simply interest and discovery to nowadays his proficiency in dynamics, structures, materials, and wind kinetics. Every kite he builds has a sophisticated blueprint of structure design and standards of materials, which enable each kite to be reproducible. General art makers cannot achieve this level. Professional trainings and drafting of architecture courses from Buteo Huang’s college study made this level possible.

　　Buteo Huang’s innovation and persistence of kite art makes kites more than a traditional craft. Teacher Huang transcends limits of folk art’s style as well. He integrates scientific conceptions that emphasize on accuracy into kites making, and his pieces embody the spirit of humanity. His works represent modern spirit of amusement and completely connect to life and space-time. No wonder he has yielded unusually brilliant results and won the title ‘Number one kite creator’ in the kite field around the world.

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Interviewee: Kai-Xi Huang, the director of National Education Radio

　　I first met Buteo Huang in the kite exhibition The ‘Spring’ Sky of Hakka in Hualien on 7th February, 2010. I went there to interview him, the international kite-art master. Flying kites is a tradition of Hakka People. According to local climates, Hakka People in mid-south usually fly kites on Tomb-Sweeping Day in late spring. The exhibition ‘Spring’ Sky of Hakka reveals the spring scenery in Hakka villages.

　　Buteo Huang exhibited 255 art pieces that can fly into the sky at Hualien Hakka Folk Museum, to capture those hearts that are eager to fly. Buteo Huang is very passionate. He patiently explained to everyone that every piece can fly into the sky when facing multifarious and extremely beautiful kite arts. Kites that integrate art, science, and childishness inspire visitors variously.

　　I feel that Buteo Huang never loses his utter innocence. He was very excited during the exhibition. The artist Buteo Huang that belongs to the sky believes only in creations and never limits himself. His life is as colorful as his kites.