Design and form in architecture, textiles, engravings, and sculpture intermix and re-emerge in a myriad of traditional and contemporary influences. Ancient Malay print and carving motifs become irrevocably entwined with Islamic, Hindu, and ani-mistic spiritual images. Intricate and highly evolved adornments appear on walls and costumes alike. Kites are another form of artistic and spiritual expression in this vivid articulation. They may act as visual and symbolic manifestations of Javanese gods or stylized animal and insect forms.
Some kites depict the interwinings of life and death, the struggles of gods and humans.
Sometimes many hummer kites fly together and create a delightful musical harmony. Many aspects of traditional and contemporary art appear in the design of Indonesian kites, in great contrast to Western kites, which are almost exclusively seen as toys or miniature flying machines. Typical Indonesian kite motifs include birds, insects, and fish-ubiquitours creatures in the natural tropical environment. These are sometimes realized in astonishing detail, as with the Sumatran eagle kite, but are more often shown in exotic stylizations that reflect the dramatic mix of influences. The incredible diversity of tropical flowers and butterflies are favorite subjects, particularly in their locally adapted variations.