Electronic Portfolio Biography

of

Kelvin YS Chun

Kite Enthusiast


Asian Kites

in

Hawaii


Magic Menu

 

 

Kelvin Chun is an award winning teacher, magician, balloon artist and kite enthusiast. Kelvin has over 40 years of kite making and flying experience and has competed in local, national and international competitions.

He is the only kite maker in Hawaii who has accomplished so many awards and is recognized internationally for his lecturing abilities. Kelvin has over 25 years experience as an educator teaching students from grades kindergarten - adult. He has the experience to communicate effectively with people of all ages and also be a life-long learner. Kelvin has taught the art of kite making and flying to his students.

Here is a video integrating mathematics, art, history and science. Kelvin has been on television sharing the art of asian kites.

For over 20 years, he has done numerous hands on kite making and flying workshops for students and teachers for the Hawaii Department of Education including paper kites and plastic kites.

Kite Workshops for DOE

His presentations were done throughout the community including the Pasco event at the Academy of Arts, the Hawaii Council of Teachers of Mathematics conferences, the HSTA - Hawaii State Teachers Association Institute Day, and the public library system.

 

 

Student's Sled Kite:

His most recent workshop (May, 2008) was held in Los Angeles at the JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM. "Up, Up and Away!" is highlighted by three workshops including:

Workshop session 1: History of Kites / Kites Around the World / Asian-American Kites

Workshop session 2: Paper / Plastic kites - Students create kites of their choice after basic concepts are introduced

Workshop/Demonstration: Flying of Asian - American Kite and Kites the students created

In 1995, Kelvin's final innovative instructional design multimedia project for the M.Ed program for the University of Hawaii's Department of Educational Technology was titled "Multimedia Instruction in Kite Aerodynamics: "Why Does A Kite Fly?" This project included pressing a cd-rom when that technology was relatively new.

To pursue his life-long learning in kites, Kelvin have travelled to many parts of China including the kite capital of the world: Weifang and also the international kite museum in Tokyo, Japan.

Here is a video of the asian kite.


Hawaiian/Asian Kite

... continuing the tradition

The Hawaiian/Asian kites are a mix between Chinese, Filipino, and American ideas. These kites must survive the gusty Hawaiian trade winds of up to 35 mph. The materials such as bamboo, kite line and plastic must be strong. From 1960 - 1990, there were many Hawaiian kite making enthusiasts. These numbers have dwindled due to a new generation of different interests.

Kites date back 3000 years, when the Chinese made them from bamboo and silk. Over the centuries kites have been used in religious ceremonies, scientific experiments, military maneuvers and, of course, for fun.

The kites in the Phillipines have designs similar to the Chinese kites. These are special tailless kites that are perfectly balanced. At times, they could glide almost perpendicular to the ground.

The Filipino kite is known as "saranggola." (Spelling variation: sarangola)

Gurion - is the name of a classic Filipino kite design, characterized by an oval shaped main body, a pointed nose and fish-like tail, it can also be designed as a tail-less variant. (Spelling variation: guryon)

In 1989, I have received a grant through the Hawaii State Cultural Arts Foundation to learn as an apprentice under the master kite maker Patricio Gongob. The Folk Arts Program was created in 1983 with funds and planning support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Folk Arts Program seeks to: identify and document the diverse ethnic, cultural and occupational folk traditions in Hawai'i; assist in the perpetuation of folk traditions in Hawai'i; and promote public awareness of the beauty and value of folk arts in Hawai'i and the importance of preserving Hawai'i 's folk arts heritage. Over 80 hours of hands-on learning time was generously provided by Mr. Gongob.

Mentor of Filipino Kites in Hawaii: The Late Patricio Gongob

 

Mr. Gongob has been a kite expert throughout his life time, learning the art in the Phillipines. He passed away at age 83 in 1991. He entered numerous kite competitions in Hawaii and the US in the 1960s and 1970s.

 

In 1971, his gigantic kites were on the cover of the Kite Tales magazine. To store these kites, they were either hung on the side of a two-story house, or hung from the ceiling of their garage. The kites were launched with rope using about 13 men and brought to Kapiolani Park using a flat-bed truck.

That year, Patricio Gongob and relatives won numerous awards among other outstanding asian kites. He even won a trip to the mainland to a national kite festival. In the 1970s, the Kite Festivals sponsored by the City & County of Honolulu were very competitive with many expert kite makers. To judge the high flying competition, a helicopter was launched to view the altitude.

There are no big kite festivals in Hawaii as in the past. The tradition is becoming lost because the younger generation has different interests. Patricio Gongob is holding the number 15.

Here is the article from the magazine.

 

A picture of his award winning (Most Beautiful) kite appeared in the 1977 summer issue (p. 43) of Kite Line. Mr. Gongob told me the stories of the Chinese introducing these kite designs to the Phillipines, and how modifications to the design have perfected its flight. Mr. Gongob was featured in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin for his award winning kites. Here is the bird kite that we designed:

If you analyze its shape, it also resembles the Maylasian kites known as the Wau Bulan. The word Bulan means moon shape. The lower 1/2 of the kites are shaped like a crescent moon. The wings are elliptical in design and the bamboo frame is shaved to perfection. The wings are able to resist the stress of the wind by bending like joints in the human body. In some of my designs, I have also introduced modern materials like fiberglass to replace the bamboo, and mylar and nylon to replace rice paper. There are a lot of mathematical concepts involved in designing this kite. The wings are elliptical and the tail has a parabolic shape.

 

See video of Patricio Gongob on kite making.

Start with splitting the bamboo and choosing the appropriate size:

All parts of the kite must be well balanced and proportioned. Use strong nylon and glue to bond bamboo wings to spine.

Use plastic or mylar to cover the frame.

Use scotch tape and contact cement to bond plastic to frame.

 

Various colorful designs

The hummer is attached to the back to create a sound like an airplane. Usually, lauhala leaves from floor mats make great low sounds. The leaves are held together by the stretched bamboo forming a bow. Strips of mylar can be substituted to create a higher sound.

The kite will soar to the sky to an altitude almost perpendicular to the ground. It will glide when it is above the flier. Mr. Gongob claimed that he was told not to fly his kite too high at Aala Park because it would interfere with the landing of airplanes.

The kite is attached to a strong Dacron line. In gusty winds, the Dacron line has at least a 100 lb. test.

Other popular Hawaiian kite makers included Lincoln Chang, Wayne Baldwin, Alfred Chang, Richard Ching and Warren Zane.

 


Kite Awards


1989 American Kite Fliers Association National / International

Single Line Competition

3rd Place - Centipede of Train of Kites

(3 Hawaiian / Asian / Filipino Kites were strung together to win this award)


Honolulu City & County

Kite Festival

Senior Division

Awards

1st Place - Smallest Kite in Flight - 1992

1st Place - Most Beautiful Kite in Flight - 1990

3rd Place - Most Beautiful Kite in Flight - 1987

1st Place - Most Beautiful Kite in Flight - 1982

2nd Place - Most Beautiful Kite in Flight - 1992

1st Place - Most Beautiful Kite in Flight - 1988

1st Place - Most Beautiful Kite in Flight - 1986

2nd Place - Largest Kite in Flight - 1982

 

2nd Place - Smallest Kite in Flight - 1992

1st Place - Highest Flyer Kite - 1987

3rd Place - Most Beautiful Kite in Flight - 1986

3rd Place - Highest Flyer Kite - 1992

1st Place - Most Beautiful Kite in Flight - 1987

3rd Place - Highest Flyer Kite - 1986

1st Place - Most Beautiful Kite in Flight - 1991

2nd Place - Sprint Race - 1987

1st Place - Most Beautiful Kite in Flight - 1984

1st Place - Smallest Kite in Flight - 1979 ( 9 - 10 years)

1st Place - Highest Flyer Kite - 1990

2nd Place - Battle of the Kites - 1987

3rd Place - Most Beautiful Kite in Flight - 1984

Menu

Kite Video

Star-Bulletin Article

Patricio Gongob

Kelvin's Designs

 

Nuuanu Elementary School teacher Kelvin Chun flies one of the kites

he has made in the traditional way popular in China and the Philippines.

Nuuanu students Matthew Yen, left, and Brett Shintani, both 10,

hold one of the other kites made by Chun.

By Dennis Oda,Star-Bulletin

Chun shows yet another of his kites.

 

Nuuanu teacher Kelvin Chun

shares the ancient art of kite

making at 'Pasko!'

 

By Burl Burlingame

Star-Bulletin

Nov. 19, 1999

 

 

KELVIN Y.S. CHUN, a teacher at Nuuanu Elementary, is a good-natured

sort, as evidenced by the respect his students give him (he was recently

named one of 39 teachers, out of 75,000, in the Walt Disney American

Teacher Awards).

 

But he does have one gripe.

 

Invariably, his first name is spelled "Kevin" in stories and on awards.

So let's get that out of the way: Kelvin Y.S. Chun.

 

The reason we're talking to Chun today is his facility with Asian kites.

His colorful manta-shaped kites are often displayed in public libraries

as if they're works of art rather than elaborately crafted toys. They

aren't "kite"-shaped. They aren't triangular and they feature tails. As

we head into pasko season -- the Filipino holiday celebration -- you

might want to build one yourself as decoration.

 

"As a child, I was always struck by the balance and symmetry of Asian

kites," said Chun, who will display his work Sunday during the annual

"Pasko!" event, themed "Our Children, Our Future," at the Honolulu

Academy of Arts.

"I was fortunate that there was a neighborhood man, Patricio Gongob, who

took me in as an apprentice. He was a master kitesman."

 

Like most kids, Chun bought store kites and flew them as high as they

could possibly go. That was the thrill. "And if the string broke,

ooooooh, buckaloose!" said Chun.

He noticed, however, that Gongob's elliptical kites flew almost straight

overhead, indicating great lifting power, and were stable. The secret

was in the broad tail, comprising about half the lifting surface,

coupled with airfoil-shaped tips that flexed in the breeze, like the tip

primaries of a bird's wing. Asian kites were also rigged with a line

across the back that ensured balance.

 

"Mr. Gongob made his kites out of rice paper on strips of bamboo," said

Chun. "I've modernized things a little bit. I still use bamboo -- often

from fishing poles -- but I also use ripstop Nylon or Mylar."

One of his smaller kites is actually made of clear Mylar with a Japanese

mon design printed on it with a laser printer. Despite any kite's size,

when the back rigging is loosened, the kite goes flat, and Chun says

they're easy to store.

 

Gongob didn't only make delicate little kites. Chun remembers a monster

the "size of a house that had to be driven to Kapiolani Park on the back

of a flatbed. We had to use ropes to hold it in the air!"

 

Back then, the City and County provided funding for kiting contests. In

the 1980s, stores such as Kite Fantasy and High Performance had a wide

selection of kites. Chun has seen the popularity of kite flying diminish

over the last decade.

 

Still, it's a centuries-old tradition. The Chinese invented kites, and

when Chinese merchants moved to the Philippines they brought kiting with

them. When Gongob emigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii, he brought

the skill with him -- and Chun laughs heartily when he realizes that the

Filipino man taught a boy of Chinese descent the art.

 

Full circle!

 

 

top

Kelvin's kite were on display

from 1992 - 1998 at the

Salt Lake/Moanalua Public Library

3225 Salt Lake Blvd.

Honolulu, Hawaii 96818

Ph. (808) 831-6831

 

top

 

Kites in Flight

top

 

 

 

Tessellation Shapes

top

Kite Workshop for

Japanese American National Museum

Powerpoint Presentation / Asian Kites

Youtube Presentation

Youtube - High Voltage

Youtube - High Voltage2

Youtube - Gongob

 

 

Simple to Make Kite

Lincoln Chang Rokkaku Modification

Kites in Flight

Tessellation Shapes

Award Winners

Kite Workshops

History of Kites

Interactive - Fly a Kite

Virtual Kite Zoo

Kite Builders

Kite Festivals

Kite Sites

Types of Japanese Kites

Kites from Japan

Traditional Japanese Kites

Fighter Kites

Chen Zhao Ji - Mechanical Kites

More Chinese Kites

Weifang, China Festival

Wau Bulan

Various Kites

Kite Samples

Kite Unit

Ben Franklin Movie

 

 

top

Kelvin's Home Page