Designed to shift as you move around, Waterfall of Kites reveals new details with every glance.
Across South Asia, kite flying is closely connected to festivals including Uttarayan and Basant, where skies fill with colour to mark the arrival of spring. These celebrations are valued for their visual spectacle, and also as a way of bringing generations of people together – traditions that continue today within South Asian communities and across the UK.
Community voices are woven throughout the exhibition. Alongside award-winning artist Sue Walpole’s monumental kite structure are works developed through collaborations between Oldham artists Samaya Javed, Iqra Khadiza and Dada Zubeda and participants from Yuvanis Foundation, The Indian Association – Saheli Group and Greenhill CHAI Project. In total nine workshops have taken place, with the creators using stripped bamboo, glue and bound cotton to create unique kite structures. Each piece carries the perspectives, creativity and memories of its maker, bringing together individual stories within a shared installation.
The original Waterfall of Kites concept was created by Supriya Nagarajan, Artistic Director of Manasamitra, for Culturedale: Calderdale’s Year of Culture 2025.
Waterfall of Kites runs from 27 June – 29 August 2026 in Gallery Oldham (above Oldham Library), the exhibition is free to visit and open to all during the gallery’s opening hours.
