The Past and Future of
ORIGAMI The rule of origami is very simple: One square transformed by folding without any cutting and pasting. It is all about how far you can change the square by only folding the paper. No scissors and no glue. The art of paper folding began in China during the first or second century A.D. Traditional Japanese origami, which has been practiced since the Edo era (1603–1867). In Japan, the earliest unambiguous reference to a paper model is in a short poem by Ihara Saikaku in 1680 which describes paper butterflies in a dream. The art of origani can just like jazz music which be done by feelings, or like a serious mathmatical, scientific research which
followed specific steps and diagrams. Akira Yoshizawa, who can be seen as the father of modern origami, is the first person who starts to use wet folding technique and inventing the systems of origami diagramming using just pictures. Throught his life, Akira Yoshizawa (1911-2005) created lots of (about 50,000) origami models. The Evolusion The evolution history of origami is concerned about the question: How many steps did it take to diagram? Back to the ‘60s it was about 20-30 steps. In the ‘80s the diagram got up to 70 and 80 steps. Nowadays, the number of steps can be 200 or 300 for a single figure, from the start to finish. Therefore, follow the trace of the past,
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we will not be surprise to see the origami design evolve into thousands steps in the future. During the ‘90s, there was a worldwide informal competition that has been called “The Bug Wars.” At that time, each year people try to exceed a new stage of origami design through creating features about bugs and insects. The best known origami model now is probably the Japanese paper crane. The Limits Yes, there’s physical limits. However, the human creativity is not limited. As Akira Yoshizawa talked about that “...all origami starts with a flat surface. As this surface transforms in three dimensions, origami has within
it all the possibilities we associate with creative art.” The number of basic origami folds is small, but they can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. Materials and Tools Almost any laminar material can be used for folding; the only requirement is that it should hold a crease. Washi is the traditional origami paper which used in Japan. Normal copy paper can be used for simple folds and heavier weight papers of 100 g/m2 or more can be wet-folded. There is a new interesting trend making origani works by using paper mony. This is known variously as Dollar Origami, Orikane, and Money Origami.
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“ Over all, I want you to discover the joy of creation by your own hand. The possibility of creation from paper is infinite.” — Akira Yoshizawa
Abstraction The question for the modern origami artists is to figure out where and when to say stop to their design. Though the technique got improved is a good thing, but the point of a fine artistic work is about how to put the emotional feelings into the art works. Not all about technique and skillful structure but also how to make the origami into a beautiful, artistic works. By reducing the steps but still keep the structure and the aesthetic elements. Modern origami artists found that by creating their works in simply, expres-
sively and abstract style the emotional side of the works started to showed up. The origami artists began to think about what can we do by only one fold. Then they found they can do a lot without complicated technique to make structures. “Paper looks week when it is ordinary paper. The process of making is the point of it. The objects looks good if the process feels good. That’s always where the interesting things happen to be.” Eric Joisel talked about these similar experience about reducing and
reorganize the stpes of folding paper. “What’s the most important is breath life into paper.” Eric Joisel said. Is it all about reality? How much it looks like the real thing? People know it’s a piece of paper; it cannot really be an elephant or a bear. But they will take look the details and the proportions. Is it really matter to make it looks like something or it can just like one of the works in the modern abstract art style. Most of the audience of the origami works is still expect to see it in real objects rather than take it as an art form. However, origami style with all the various influences of modern abstract art. In recent years, more and more origami designs tend to be with the organicism and abstraction theory. Artists such as Joel Cooper, Miyuki Kawamura, Tomoko Fuse and Eric Gjerde who lead origami into a new stage. It is not all about how to make
it looks like something any more, it contains more about structures and emotional feeling like sculpture in modern art field. Action origami Artists who like Chris Palmer even tried to put the motion elements into their work. The process became a part of origami art. Their works born in chaos and interest ideas. “Action origami includes origami that flies, requires inflation to complete, or, when complete, uses the kinetic energy of a person’s hands, applied at a certain region on the model, to move another flap or limb.” By changing the shape of paper, there’s a new form of origami art.
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“ True, elegant and lasting noble art of Origami as a symbol for World Peace” — Akira Yoshizawa
Education & Medical The principles of origami are not only being used in stents, packaging, but also in multiple aspects. “A number of technological advances have come from insights obtained through paper folding. For example, techniques have been developed for the deployment of car airbags and stent implants from a folded position.� (Systems and Technologies for the New Frontier.) Functional Form It can not only be an art form but also have many practical uses such as education, medicine, biology, natural science, nanotechque, industrial design, and even space engineering will apply the theory of origami. Besides the artists, there are many people in
different prodessional regions, such as the physicists, computer scientists, biologists, mathematicians, focus there works on origami. Education For thousands years, people all over the world gather together to learn and share origami. They were learned art and forms and now, this theory can be use in different subjects. For instance, Miri Golan, who use origami to teach geographic in Isreal. She found it can let her student understand the three dimensional structure easily and have fun at the same time. Another example is the professor Tom Hull in Mathematics Department of Merrimack College Andover uses
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origami to teach complicated mathematical theories. Medical The origami theories also can be very helpful on medical research. For example, Erik Demaine, who use folding to solve problems. At the beginning, he tried to solve geometric problems on the computer and transferred it into origami. Then, he transferred the process of making origami back into computer and use the theory to see how proteins can fold. By understanding the wrong folding proteins he and the medical team can design custom drug for the specific disease. The process of folding paper itself can be took as a very healthy process.
Accroding to Dr. Antonio Alberto de Rehabilitation through paper folding. Paper folding is beneficial to those with rheumatic illnesses especially where the upper limbs are affected. By folding paper can achieve:
deterioration due to lack of use. * Avoids Is good as a passive massage of the joints. * Reinforces neuromuscular circuits. * Sets in motion new circuits at the cere * bral level in the co-ordination of voluntary
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movement.
Can easily be practised at home. 6. Acts as an occupational therapy.
“ Much of the beauty that arises in art comes from
the struggle an artist wages with limited medium.” — Henri Matisse
Shuo-Chun Chueh (Chelsea) School / Academy of Art University Course / GR 601: Type Systems Instructor / David Hake