Week 23 – Origami
There is something magical about taking a piece of paper which is 2 dimensional and with a few folds turn it into a 3 dimensional object. The wonderful thing is that you don’t have to invest in expensive paper, tools or equipment.
Sourcing Paper
While I was doing some sorting out recently I came across a copy of The 20th Century Art Book. A heavy volume with a plentiful supply of great art images. The pages are almost square in format. It was a book I no longer had a use for and it would have gone to the local charity shop or telephone box book exchange. But with origami on my mind it was an obvious choice to use some of the pages and see what happened.
I found the paper thicker than expected and as I began to make my initial folds I was unsure how successful it would be. But I had made a start and I just had to keep going.
How to make an Origami Crane
Following on from some research I decided I wanted to make cranes. The crane, or orizuru as it is known in Japan, symbolises hope and peace. It is also regarded as the “bird of happiness” in Japanese culture.
There was no shortage of instructional material and videos to guide me through the folding process. This video was excellent and after two or three viewings accompanied by my piece of paper I felt confident to continue by myself. I could not help but notice the attention given to the accuracy of folding neatly into the corners.
Here are some images of the stages of my folding and making.
Repetition
Repeatedly making the cranes was very relaxing. Using paper with different images on it make the outcome always a little different. My skills of folding and paying greater attention to the accuracy of each fold improved as I made more and more.
As a result of this week’s challenge I have been asked to do a session for a local community group later in the month. I will need to perfect my techniques even more now. I can then enable everyone who attends to get the most out of the workshop and hopefully be confident enough to make some more when they go home.
All of the cranes are now hanging in my studio and have made a welcome addition bringing peace and happiness to my working environment. I admire them every morning when I walk in.
