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Trevor joins some of the cast. They
didn't offer him an audition but he did iron some of the costumes under strict
supervision. |
Trevor Jones, N16's Advertising Manager, is a regular visitor to
Russia. During his recent trip, he spoke to teachers and pupils at School 408 in the
Eastern District of Moscow. He also watched them rehearse at the Childrens' Arts and
Cultural Theatre for their public performance of a play based on an old Russian fable.
Russian people are well known for their hospitality and he reports on a remarkable and
interesting offer.
School 408 is based in one of the most attractive suburbs in Moscow. It has good shops and
other facilities and although it borders the forests to the East of Moscow, it is only
twenty minutes by metro from the Kremlin. The school has a strong English language
department and organises an annual survey on the opinions and aspirations of its older
pupils called, 'The Future of Russia'. It also has its own museum with exhibits donated by
veterans from the 'Great Patriotic War' (the Second World War) and from Russia's space
programme.
The school is keen to receive pupils from Stoke Newington schools in the 14 to 18 age
bracket and act as their host in Moscow. The school is happy to show groups of between two
and twenty young people the real Moscow. It is also keen to liaise with a local school and
replicate its annual survey in Stoke Newington.
If any local schools or parents are interested in this unique offer, write to Trevor Jones
at N16 magazine, 26 Shacklewell Lane, London E8 2EZ.
For the Benefit of Mr Kite
personality of the month
 Chris Matheson cheerfully admits to being an anorak or, even worse,
a nerd. In fact, he seems pretty good-natured about most things in life. Perhaps it's the
effect of staring up at the sky for long periods of time. But that's part of his work
he's Britain's leading kite designer.
Born 37 years ago in Kent, he worked as a greengrocer, welder and motorbike courier (yes,
one of those) before falling in love with kites. It all started in the late 1980s during a
visit to the Blackheath Kite Festival when he realised that he could probably create a
product as good as the £100 kites that were on display.
He went to the Kite Store in Covent Garden and bought the materials. For the
technically-minded, the sails are made of rip-stop nylon (or polyester) spinnaker
sailcloth; the spars are carbon fibre and the lines a NASA-designed material called
Spectra which is light, thin, strong and non-stretchable. Kites are built on the same
shape and principle as hang-gliders.
He made a few mistakes at first, the main one being that he built the frame first and
tried to fit the sail around it. The correct way is to design a sail with the correct
amount of 'billow' and then make the frame to fit. In 1990 he decided to go full-time.
Dedication was essential and he locked himself away for 6 months sometimes waking up in
the middle of the night with an idea and getting up to work on it until he was
confident that he could compete both as a flyer and as a designer. He moved to Manor Road
after renting a place in the Church Street Workshops
Chris was soon noticed. Orders began to flow from individuals and kite stores. Magazines
such as Kite Passion and the website Kitelife.com regularly featured his designs. He now
coaches, demonstrates and runs kite-making classes in France, Portugal, South Africa,
Israel, the USA, Australia and most of Europe. He is also explains with a laugh that
he is particularly big in Belgium. When he competes in international championships he
always finishes in the top three.
Chris set the first indoor record by keeping a kite flying, without wind, for 2 hours at
the Docklands Arena. There have been many TV appearances including a feature on the Blue
Peter programme. His name is listed in the Kite Hall of Fame in the United States and the
Matheson label is much in demand. He was the official kite flyer (apart from Peter
Mandelson) for the Dome and the millennium celebrations.
Kite competitions are based on the same principles as ice skating. There are three parts:
precision (patterns of flight such as figures of eight etc.); freestyle; and ballet with
music interpretation. The music is played through powerful PAs. There are usually around
20,00030,000 spectators at the big events. Hackney Marshes is the best open space
locally. Parliament Hill and Blackheath are also popular.
The sport doesn't have a 'cool' image in Britain, unlike overseas countries. However, that
could change. Land-based kite flyers are about to be joined by those enviable people with
muscled bodies covered in sea spray who ride surfboards. The new trend in wind surfing is
to get rid of the sail and to attach a harness fixed to a kite line around the
surfer's body. The kite powers the board and provides much more flexibility than a sail as
it cannot be caught by the water.
Despite his self-proclaimed nerdishness in relation to kites, Chris Matheson is a
gregarious fellow and can be seen sinking a pint or two of Bombardier ale in Church Street
pubs. If you stroll across Hackney Marshes outside pub opening hours you may come across a
man in a bright yellow outfit gazing towards the clouds and tugging on two lines. Karl,
manager of the Tup and friend of Chris, is a secret kiter.
Chris has decided to scale down his wider activities and will focus on creating more of
his own custom-made designs. These usually cost from £80 upwards, depending on the
intricacy of the design.
Prospective buyers can contact him on 020*******, mobile 07939 354 564 or e-mail chris@kites.org.uk and he will be happy to
advise. |
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