Where the boundaries of our imagination reach, there begins the work of Johannes Langkamp. The German artist, based in Rotterdam, delights in playing with perception in his installations, hoping thereby to broaden your perspective. Especially for the temporary clubhouse of the Kite Club at Voorlinden, he collaborated with his fellow kite‑flying artists to create a kite.
Had you ever flown a kite before?
‘No, never. My older brother used to make kites, but I’d never fashioned one myself. I was always impressed by how he could sew and cut them all so expertly. The funny thing is, I found the technical side intimidating, whereas now it’s precisely an important theme in my work.’
What was the starting point for your kite?
‘Bertjan Pot from the Kite Club got me underway. He showed me numerous kites and explained how you can introduce holes into them, yet they still fly perfectly well. That immediately appealed to me, because I want to break through the flat plane of the kite. So I began sketching, and I now have a whole mountain of drawings featuring slits, notches and holes. At the moment I’m working on a kite patterned with holes containing moving circles. Initially I thought one side of the circle could be yellow and the other blue. But when they move, it happens so fast that you perceive green. So I’m still searching for the right hues, so they shimmer like a disco ball in the sky.’
Do you often collaborate with other artists?
‘No, this is new for me. But I’d like to do it more often, because I really enjoy creating and playing together. Bertjan, like me, has an experimental approach with plenty of room for trial and error; the joy of making comes first for us. And I feel uplifted when I can try out different things.’
Have you learned anything as an artist?
‘Absolutely. In the Netherlands and Germany our view of kites is actually quite limited, but elsewhere in the world it’s entirely different. I was struck by how beautiful this discipline is, both technically and as a visual medium. As an artist, you can really leave your own signature on a kite. In my work I test the limits; I love experimenting, exploring what’s possible, how something moves. But how do you do that with a kite? And can it still fly? In that process I find it truly magical just how much knowledge and expertise Bertjan possesses. That really helps you to progress in such a project.’
What surprised you the most?
‘How many different types of kites have already been created, how rich the kite culture is. Bertjan has all kinds of books on kites, and I was genuinely impressed by the diversity, the figurative designs, the technical aspects, but also the almost sculptural kites I saw. That was truly inspiring. Normally I make works for walls, but here you’re working against the sky, a blue heaven instead of a museum wall. That also expands your playground.’
Will you be making more kites in future?
‘Perhaps I’ll work more with the wind. Flying the kite with Bertjan, at a certain point I really felt the wind’s resistance. It was utterly fascinating. Not that I’ll immediately start making kites in my own practice—the step outdoors feels a bit too great for me; my workbench is already a world of discoveries. But yes, when I’m standing in the grass with one of Bertjan’s borrowed kites, I can enjoy it immensely. So, you never know.’