Origami seems to be the new Materials Engineering black, being considered a contemporary alternative approach to fabrication and structure:
I was reading an article on deploying large solar arrays in space. This problem is not unique – everything taken into space must be small at launch so it can fit in a rocket. Continue reading
I have passed this model many times, thinking “not sure what that is, maybe later”, but decided to give it a whirl tonight:
What a curious object. Designed by Jeremy Schafer, from his book “Origami to Astonish and Amaze”, this odd ripply mathematical conundrum hurts your brain to look at.
A fun paper manipulation first makes a nested tetrahedron, which is then accordion pleated to make the deltoid. You can then open it up like some surreal book, 4 separate rippled deltoids emerge – curious indeed. Continue reading
It is late, I am tired, the first week back at the start of the term is exhausting but this little alien is looking after me:
Folded from Japanese foil, it compliments yesterdays model. Incidentally today is a few days after the 56th anniversary of humans in space as Yuri Gagarin first left our atmosphere Continue reading
Now I am not so conceited as to think that humans are the only intelligent life in the universe, but the more I understand about humans, the more I am convinced that the sure proof there IS intelligent life elsewhere is the fact that they have in no way attempted to contact us. Nothing. Not a peep:
I want to understand what form extra terrestrial life might take, but I am continually confounded by plethora of lifeforms on this planet.
I am sure that ET will not resemble the Sci-Fi little green carbon-based bipedal life we see in popularist imagery. Continue reading
Few origami masters did more for modern origami than Yoshizawa Sensei:
With delightfully few folds, his models evoke shapes, creatures and personalities. Continue reading
I have had this model on my “must try” list for ages but there was something about the fold sequence that made me uneasy, couldn’t put my finger on it:
I decided to fold it in black, because…reasons. faithfully following the folding diagrams unexpected things began to happen – layers on the wrong side, meridians not aligning etc.
I got a little “creative” and it worked out fine, but I think there are errors in the sequence (or steps missing). I followed the diagrams faithfully until … I didn’t, really. Continue reading
Having folded Robert Lang, Jun Maekawa and Ronald Koh’s Rabbits, I feel I have been a bit spoiled in terms of “best” rabbits out there:
Always on the lookout for something new, and given that it is Easter Sunday, a rabbit seemed appropriate and this rabbit gave me an interesting challenge. Continue reading
Those who know me realise I am mostly a “cat person” but my parents used to have Bassets, lovely dogs that were low to the ground, long ears and seemingly wearing a skin that was 5 sizes too big:
I have been looking for a good Basset hound model and, up until now, have not really found anything suitable.
Scanning the State Library (and learning you can e-borrow their collection) I stumbled across an archived copy of Seth Friedman’s “Dog Origami”. The last (and presumably most complex) model in the book was a Basset, and I have spent much of the afternoon trying to fold it. Continue reading
When I first saw NeelishK’s fold of this model I was in total awe of the boxpleating skill it showcased:
He is part of a shared group on Fakebook and to my amazement shared, via photodiagram, guidelines and folding sequence suggestions. Continue reading
As any cat owner knows, cats seem to be able to tie themselves in knots, and this pose is fairly typical of a stretch pose:
Well, I say cat “owners” but in reality, cats own and train us to serve them, it is in the nature of cats really. Continue reading
Now you are set to sleep in, for the first time in ages right? Your neighbour, bless him, decides this morning is the time to chainsaw and woodchip the hedgerow:
As amusing as this sounds, this actually happened to me this morning. Coincidentally I had just completed Fernando Gilgado’s “Sleeping In” model – seems the universe was conspiring against me. Continue reading
On the the pleasures (there are many) of visiting Japan at the moment is the onset of spring, and the flowering of cherry blossom trees:
I remember vividly the glorious show, in colours from deep red to white/lemon, trees around Kyoto and Miyajima being particularly lovely. Continue reading
Now I must admit for model 100 of the current 365, to starting this mode before we went on holidays, but left it barely started as it has taken me an age to decrypt the directions for folding it:
This lovely, plucky little dragon needs much bigger paper. Teasing the details and final shaping at this scale is torture. Continue reading
I am such a fan of David Brill’s work:
His command of seemingly impossible geometry is complimented by the works of Francis Ow, the designer of the other “Double Cube” I have folded – a torturous skeletal structure. Continue reading
It is rare that a simple bit of geometry is so lovely but this floral pot combines glorious proportion and an efficient use of the sheet:
A simple(ish) twirl causes the vase shape. I must work out how to fold this without the pre-creasing scars as I think this would look beautiful in large format hand-made paper. Continue reading
