Roanna Holmes-Frodsham

Seraphim Kite

Hand Whittled Bamboo, Tyvek, Acrylic Paint, 2020.

On my long walks in the parks of South East London, after we were first allowed to venture outside again, I began thinking a lot about the idea of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. From my appreciation for being outside with the wind, rain and sun on my skin, I began writing a screenplay titled The Hair of the Hundredth Dog and this kite was made as a character within it. 

I like the idea of the natural elements being a reflection of the human heart or the human mind. I am interested in making films where the characters, sets and props are at the mercy of the natural elements, and therefore began thinking of ways in which the rain and the wind can play a part in the choreography of the ‘play’.

This kite, based on Giotto's fresco of St Francis receiving the stigmata, felt like the perfect embodiment of the emotionality of the lockdown period. A beautiful portrayal of constantly changing feelings, a body gliding through the wind, being taken along but also fighting against it.

Saying this, when I took it out for the first time, the weather suddenly started to fluctuate from golden sun to stormy winds and snapped the kite's spine - perhaps showing that we really are at the mercy of our environment.