The Balinese pecukan is also known as a leaf kite because of its distintive shape, and may be a highly developed form. Such kites are still built this way in Sulawesi. The leaves are carefully trimmed and attached to the bamboo frame with stitching made from thin strips of rattan. These kites actually fly well and are an exceptional tribute to an ability to utilize and master the simplest of materials in the environment to create the wonder of flight. Kite used in fishing are still built of leaves in areas of Indonesia today, where they are perfectly in tune with their tropical environment and the needs of their makers.
Indonesian kites vary widely in their design and construction.
Many evolve from the classic ellipsoidal wing shape, but the fantastic creative imagination of Indonesian artists and craftsmen has produced structures that encompass any possible shape. These are the kreasi baru, or 'new creation' kites. It is difficult to believe that some of the creative kites in this exhibition will fly, but they all do, and very well indeed. Indonesian kites in flight reveal a sophisticated level of awareness of weight, aerodynamic balance, and stability. The structural drawings shown here are the three indigenous Balinese kite forms.