Pop-ups!

Recently, I was killing time in a bookstore and thought I ought to see what origami books they have. Just like most stores, their selection was not particularly impressive, intended to introduce people to the art, or for people who are focused more on other crafts, but want to include a little bit of origami. 

Looking through, I came across a book by Paul Jackson, who I recognized from the film Between the Folds. I was excited to see what origami he had designed, only to discover that it was a guide on how to make pop-ups. I immediately thought of my dad's birthday, and how I might make a possible card. 

I drew a quick sketch so that I could visualize what it would look like at the end. 

Then I figured out where all the cuts would need to go.

Then I made a prototype to see if it could work (I found a couple of mistakes).

Then I made a new cut pattern to accommodate the changes I learned from the prototype.

Then I made a final draft and glued it to a second sheet to make a complete card! 

(Next time, I'll do a better job on the glue.)

Origametria

I have been thinking a lot about origami combined with teaching mathematics. I applied for a Minnesota Math Corps job and have a minor hope that there will be some way to incorporate origami into their pre-constructed curriculum. This line of thought brought me back to Between the Folds, which is a documentary about origami and shows a spectrum of folders. One folder in particular is Miri Golan.

Miri is the Director of the Israeli Origami Center (the English version of the site seems a bit unpolished) and runs a program called Origametria (this will show you a neat video summarizing the impact of origametria in Jerusalem). The program is the newest generation of programs developed at the IOC in the area of education through origami. The basic set up is to introduce elementary school students to geometry through the use of origami. The idea is that by allowing the students to manipulate the planes on the paper they get a fuller understanding of the angles, shapes and possibilities.

One article I read mentioned Origametria being used in Jewish schools in Los Angeles. I would really like to connect with someone regarding the program and see what can be done in Minnesota.

Akira Yoshizawa

Akira Yoshizawa (March 14, 1911 - March 14, 2005) is credited with the founding of the modern origami movement, and for that reason it is important to take a glance at his life and works.

What makes Yoshizawa so influential is that he changed origami on several levels throughout his life. He developed a method of diagramming the folding process which made it possible for folders to share models across language barriers. He invented wet-folding which softened the harsh geometric lines and allowed for more life-like models. His art was recognized by the Japanese government which awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, and used him as a cultural ambassador all across the globe.

He was born into a humble farming family, where he was introduced to origami. Then he spent time as a factory worker beginning at the age of 13. Eventually he became a draftsman for the same company and was responsible for teaching geometry to apprentices. He used origami to demonstrate various concepts. He left the factory at 26 to devote himself full-time to origami, making some money doing odd-jobs. He studied to be a Buddhist priest for two years, but never joined a monastery. When war broke out, he joined the Japanese medical corps and worked in Hong Kong where he made origami for the patients there. When he became ill, he returned to Japan. His first great work was a set of zodiac symbols which brought him fame. He started the International Origami Center in Tokyo in 1955 and spent time traveling, teaching and folding.

[The image is from the Origami Chile website]

Between The Folds

I recently watched a video on the topic of origami that was produced by Independent Lens titled Between The Folds (now, to be fair, when I say recently I mean some weeks after its air-date... but whatever). The exciting part about the video is that it gives a quick introduction to the wide variety of artists out there using origami. They each have a unique interpretation as to the importance of the art form and they express themselves in radically different ways. There are the rule-makers and the rule-breakers. There are scientists, teachers, rebels, sculptors, ad infinitum. Okay, so there are a finite number of folders in the world, but this video tries to shed light on all of them!

The video also shows how origami is coming into the 21st century with amazingly practical applications in mathematical theory, space travel, medicine and other fields. Origami is on the cutting edge of technology.

If you look around the room or out of the window and list how many things fold, the obvious thing: this sweater, my shirt, my collar is folded, the skin here on my eye. If I talk to you on to the camera then the air is folding going into your ear. Even the galaxies, sort of wheeling around and folding itself over eons as it goes around. That [a crumpled sheet of paper] looks like mountains and valleys for the reason mountains and valleys go through the same process. Even DNA is folded. You and I are born from folding!
-Paul Jackson

To study origami is to study the universe. Or maybe that's too grand, but the point is that there are many applications to the study of folding, and some are explored in the video. See, it all comes down to the simple fact that "Origami is a metamorphic artform," says Michael LaFosse. Nothing added, nothing subtracted, all accounted for.

And so, I recommend the video to anyone who is even vaguely interested in origami, and especially to people looking for a place to start!

[The image is the cover of the DVD case which I found on the OrigamiUSA website]