Kites from around the world, including the entries of Qatar, virtually turned the skies above Doha’s Aspire Park into a museum, a member of the national kite-flying team has said.
“Each kite resembles a tradition, a culture, a symbol and it tells a story about something,” Amr Ouda told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the Aspire International Kite Festival 2018.
The second edition of the festival, which kicked off on March 6, will conclude on Friday at Aspire Park.
The event featured hundreds of artistically-designed kites of various sizes, shapes and colours made by more than 100 professional kite flyers from 23 countries.
Ouda said the Qatar team, comprised of Qatari and expatriate members, was able to assemble around 10 unique kites in a record of one month.
A life-size, square-shape kite with the portrait of His Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani reflects a symbol of Qatari unity, according to Ouda.
“When I see these kites, I think of the sky as a museum and you have all the sky to give out all your paintings,” he stressed.
Iqbal Husain shows his kite train. PICTURE: Jayan Orma
Amr Ouda at the event.
Some of the notable kites at the festival include those from renowned kite-maker and artist Claudio Capelli from Italy, who paints portraits of personalities, families and ordinary people on his kites.
Besides dozens of large inflatable kites, the festival also showcased a ‘kite train,’ which comprised around hundreds of small kites attached to a single line.
“It is about 350 kites at the moment, like a dragon that moves in the sky,” said Iqbal Husain, a member of the Pakistan team, noting that each kite bears a Japanese character since it was originally designed by a Japanese kite maker.
“I made this one but modified it, this is a very long train.”
Considered as one of the most unique at the event, the kite is 750m long when all 500 small kites are out.
Husain, a kite maker for more than 40 years who has participated in several international kite festivals around the world, also conducts kite-making and kite-flying workshops for children.
The 2nd Aspire International Kite Festival is set to award the winners of this year’s kite flying competition at a special ceremony at 7.30pm on Friday at Aspire Park, marking the conclusion of the popular event.
In the first two days, the festival attracted 8,000 visitors and 431 male and female students.
The second edition of the festival, which kicked off on March 6, will conclude on Friday at Aspire Park.
The event featured hundreds of artistically-designed kites of various sizes, shapes and colours made by more than 100 professional kite flyers from 23 countries.
Ouda said the Qatar team, comprised of Qatari and expatriate members, was able to assemble around 10 unique kites in a record of one month.
A life-size, square-shape kite with the portrait of His Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani reflects a symbol of Qatari unity, according to Ouda.
“When I see these kites, I think of the sky as a museum and you have all the sky to give out all your paintings,” he stressed.
Iqbal Husain shows his kite train. PICTURE: Jayan Orma
Amr Ouda at the event.
Some of the notable kites at the festival include those from renowned kite-maker and artist Claudio Capelli from Italy, who paints portraits of personalities, families and ordinary people on his kites.
Besides dozens of large inflatable kites, the festival also showcased a ‘kite train,’ which comprised around hundreds of small kites attached to a single line.
“It is about 350 kites at the moment, like a dragon that moves in the sky,” said Iqbal Husain, a member of the Pakistan team, noting that each kite bears a Japanese character since it was originally designed by a Japanese kite maker.
“I made this one but modified it, this is a very long train.”
Considered as one of the most unique at the event, the kite is 750m long when all 500 small kites are out.
Husain, a kite maker for more than 40 years who has participated in several international kite festivals around the world, also conducts kite-making and kite-flying workshops for children.
The 2nd Aspire International Kite Festival is set to award the winners of this year’s kite flying competition at a special ceremony at 7.30pm on Friday at Aspire Park, marking the conclusion of the popular event.
In the first two days, the festival attracted 8,000 visitors and 431 male and female students.
