Fogo Island Plastic Free Kites

Fogo, nicknamed ‘a rock in the ocean’ is a small island situated off Newfoundland, Canada.

As a part of a larger on-going semester project, 2nd Year Master Product Design students of ECAL, completed a short, fun, few day workshop, utilising one of the most abundant resources on the island - wind.

Working in collaboration with the ShoreFast Foundation - an organisation working in numerous avenues to create a sustainable economy on the island, students developed plastic free kites.

Fogo Island has the intention of becoming completely plastic free in the coming years and as their tourist numbers increase memorabilia of this special place are in higher demand. The developed kites are therefore to be made on the island and intended for the Fogo Island Workshop gift shop.

Using Birch Wood, Ripstop Organic Cotton and hemp fibre string the students created a range of designs, taking reference from the unique features of the island.

SU_FotoIsland by Jasmine Deporta38.jpg — Fogo Island Inn and landscape. Photo by ECAL / Jasmine Deporta.

Photo by Jasmine Deporta. — By ECAL / Fleur Chiarito and Matteo Dal Lago. Taking reference of the islands rich colour palette, this kite is dyed with local berries. Photo by ECAL / Jasmine Deporta.

By ECAL / Fleur Chiarito and Matteo Dal Lago. Taking reference of the islands rich colour palette, this kite is dyed with local berries. Photo by ECAL / Jasmine Deporta.

1/2

By ECAL / Sebastiano Gallizia and Marcus Angerer, referencing fishery buildings signature to the island, this architectural typology is made fly. Photo by ECAL / Jasmine Deporta.

1/2

By ECAL / Lucas Hosteing and Donghwan Song, Fogo Island history is based around dried cod fish, this kite takes a typological kite design and transforms it into the local Fogo staple. Photo by ECAL / Jasmine Deporta.

1/2

By ECAL / Maxine Granzin and Paula Mühlena, most people send a postcard from their holidays, this kite packs down to a postcard format. Photos by ECAL / Jasmine Deporta.

1/2

By ECAL / Oscar Rainbird-Chill and Cedric Oder, traditional Fogo rowing boats utilise tree's which are grown naturally curved by the strong winds, here a boomerang is cut out from the perfect curvature of this unique resource. Photos by ECAL / Jasmine Deporta.

1/1

By ECAL / Chiara Torterolo and Luca Vernieri, these wind spinners combine colours from Fogo's unique colour palette created by Giulio Ridolfo. By ECAL / Jasmine Deporta.

1/2

By ECAL / Yohanna Rieckhoff and Luis Rodriguez, circles are painted all over the island and used as identifiers for fisherman during fog, this commonplace feature is translated to a kite. Photos by ECAL / Jasmine Deporta.

By Yohanna Rieckhoff and Luis Rodriguez, circles are painted all over the island and used as identifiers for fisherman during fog, this commonplace feature is translated to a kite. Photos by Jasmine Deporta.

1/2

By ECAL / Sophia Götz and Jule Bols, this kite uses a stitching method referencing numerous jetties and docks on the island to give the kites fabric structural strength and reduce the amount of wooden dowels in the construction. Photos by ECAL / Jasmine Deporta.

1/1