Waterfall Of Kites is Manasamitra’s new and exciting project, starting in September 2024 and culminating in an installation at Halifax Minster from 20th February to 23rd March 2025. Artistic Director Supriya Nagarajan’s inspiration came from the hundreds of kite festivals that take place across South Asia every spring.
Waterfall Of Kites is a part of Culturedale, Calderdale’s Year of Culture. Working in partnership with Calderdale Council, Manasamitra is delivering a range of participatory activities with community groups in Calderdale. Additional sessions are being delivered in partnership with the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield. Sessions will include kitemaking and music, responding to a shared arts tradition of kite festivals, resulting in kites and sounds that will form part of a bespoke installation.
Manasamitra has commissioned Sue Walpole, a local artist with a regional reputation for imaginative and exciting sculptural pieces. She will create a central work that will represent a visual source for the ‘kite waterfall’ from which all the community kites will flow. The kites will celebrate the history, textile tradition and cultural memories of the multicultural communities based in the region.
The waterfall effect will be completed by a bespoke music and sound backdrop, which will include original work, the sounds of water in its many forms and other sounds unique to Halifax.
WATERFALL OF KITES LAUNCH
We are delighted to announce that the Waterfall of Kites Launch event will take place at the Minster for invited guests and project participants.
It will be open to the public from Thursday 20th February until Sunday 23rd March 2025.
ARTISTS
We are working with several local artists and makers to deliver the kite project. In addition to Sue Walpole, the lead artist, we are working with:
- Stephanie Bartolet
- Kathy Coates-Mohammed
- Rachael Gorton
- Elspeth Moore
- Duncan Chapman – Duncan will be working with local choirs and creating the bespoke soundscape for the installation
COMMUNITY GROUPS
We are currently working with Halifax groups at the Raven Street Centre, St Augustine’s Centre and Halifax Central Library.
In Huddersfield we are working with Lawrence Batley Theatre and the Hudawi Cultural Centre.