Chloe Bayor - Kite Description

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Chloe Baylor
Big Kite
Chloe Baylor
Small Kite
          The 4ft long Tyvek kite shows imagery of Emirati women as well as clothing details for women in the UAE. Only the eyes of the women are shown. This relates to the cultural differences between taking public photos in the UAE in comparison to the USA. Taking pictures that show a stranger’s face is extremely frowned upon in the UAE and is taken more seriously there than it is in the U.S. The eyes are joined by close-up details of everyday Emirati women’s wear. The patterns are sectioned off in rectangles with that overlap or completely cover the eyes. This ties into how much or how little of their faces women choose to show. The images of the fabrics were sent in by fellow collaborating students in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The eyes were printed in different shades of purple while the patterns of the fabrics were printed afterward in gold. This coincides with the color scheme of ECU, one of the collaborating universities. 
The process used to make the kite was screen printing which is a method commonly used for printing t-shirts and posters. The images of eyes were burned onto one screen, while the fabric patterns were burned onto a separate screen. This allowed for different variations when it came to what patterns went with which eyes. Both stencils were created by taken images of eyes and clothes then printing them on clear films in grayscale with an inkjet printer. Those films were then placed on an exposure unit with the screens that were covered in photo emulsion. After the stencils were washed and dried, smaller paper kites were used to test out ink colors. Then it was time to plan and problem solve. 
The kite was intended to be a collage to symbolize the group’s theme of “connection”, so the final image was never predetermined. Problem-solving involved questions like “How would the colors differ in studio light versus outside in the sun?” and “How can the number of screens be minimized without having to print all of the images at once?”.The first step was to figure out which parts of the stencil should be printed at the same time and which parts should not. This was accomplished by using clear tape to cover certain sections while the others were inked up and printed on designated test kites. Once different shades of purple and yellow were printed, the kites were held up to indoor and outdoor light. With that information, the colors were changed to deeper shades of purple and yellow was substituted with gold. The stencils were printed in a way that can be described as organized chaos. They were intended to look randomly place while avoiding too many repeats of the same eye and pattern on one kite. The edges of the Tyvek were activated by having the images be cut off by them. Once the printing process was done, it was time to assemble the kites.  
A lot of teamwork went into assembling and flying the kites. There were many places on the kite that had to be backed by sticker-like supports to hold the fiberglass bars, as well as prevent damage to areas that required zip ties to go through it. Strings of different lengths had to be tied together in certain ways in a specific order. The group was able to get their kites in the air by having one person pull the kite’s string while another raised the kite so it could catch the wind. Seeing them in the air made the entire process worthwhile.  
Having a variety of kite designs in the air all at once really showed how a diverse group of people can all be connected. The time and effort put into the kites made the group not only closer but stronger as well. They were able to help each other out and encourage each other to keep going during long work hours. The kites are certainly a project they’ll never forget.

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