This summer, Voorlinden is taking to the skies! The Kite Club, a collective of artists and kite-enthusiasts led by Bertjan Pot, Liesbeth Abbenes and Maurice Scheltens, will set up their clubhouse in the museum for sixteen days, where they’ll be crafting and exhibiting kites—lightweight works of art made to soar. The moment the wind picks up, they’ll dash across the estate and fill the heavens with their creations: a spectacular display of graceful forms and vivid colours not to be missed.
Bertjan Pot, Liesbeth Abbenes and Maurice Scheltens are established artists in their own right – Bertjan a designer, Liesbeth and Maurice a still-life photography duo. But together, they’ve turned a casual pastime into a museum-worthy art form: making single‐line kites. For them, it’s the ultimate design challenge and highly addictive. ‘I feel there’s real euphoria in the making process; I want to savour it for as long as possible’, admits Liesbeth. ‘And it’s pure magic when your creation is lifted by the wind’, adds Maurice. ’Kite-flying is freedom – bold, elegant, yet with a hint of menace. That contrast makes it endlessly fascinating’, he concludes. This summer you can catch the Kite Club in action at Voorlinden, with sewing machines, testing and showing kites in the museum and on the estate.
Expert Kite Clinic
The scale of the Kite Club’s output is nothing short of gigantic. Bertjan and Maurice have been making kites since childhood, and Liesbeth now also churns them out one after another. ‘Kite-flying itself is hugely enjoyable – and so is making them; I simply can’t stop’, laughs Bertjan. They’re keen to share this joy with as many people as possible. ‘Where I’m normally protective of my design work, I’m completely open about how we build our kites’, explains Bertjan. ‘That’s why at Voorlinden you can watch us at work and drop-in with your questions about kites. If you’ve made a kite that won’t fly properly, bring it along and we’ll see if we can fix it.’ The Kite Club has also just published the book One Single Kite, in which they guide readers step-by-step through the kite-making process.