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Folding Socially

MEET AND FOLD FOR FUN!

If you enjoy playing cards or dancing, you might also like the interplay of folding origami with others. We usually fold with others gathered around a large table when we are preparing special displays or commercial art installations. If there is latitude in the design, such as when composing origami blossoms, stems and leaves, it is fun to gather opinions about what sizes, colors or positions look best. Often somebody will discover a shortcut or tip to make the folding more precise or efficient. We learn about new tools, papers and materials whenever we gather with folding friends. When we take a break from the task at hand, we show each other new origami designs that we have developed, modified or learned.

If you think you might enjoy the company of other origami enthusiasts, visit the website of OrigamiUSA at origamiusa.org to find listings of folding groups in your area.

Continent or Island?

It used to be common for origami artists to work in isolation. There were few publications and organizations to support a serious paper folder. It can also be more fun to solve a problem on your own, particularly when it takes intense thought over long periods of time. Designing with little outside influence certainly can produce fresh results. Folders working in isolation have become famous when examples of their innovative work suddenly burst upon the scene. Shocking new techniques advanced by isolated artist certainly make a refreshing splash in the art world.

Today’s ubiquitous Internet has made artistic isolation more difficult. New ideas and techniques may instantly pollinate the minds of thousands of contemporary artists. Those who are receptive absorb these lessons and then apply their own spin, often resulting in clever variations.

This change has its pros and cons. At certain points in your career you may prefer isolation, perhaps during the birth of a breakthrough, or when you simply need to find your own voice. The connected crowd produces fairly steady and incremental advancement, and you may draw strength from the inspiration of others’ work. Luckily, the choice is yours.

Folders of all ages enjoy making origami at this Peabody Essex Museum workshop.

Folding for the World

In any new art, the “pioneers” invariably set the tone for those who follow. Because this “folding as art” is so new, many of the greatest origami designers of all time are alive today, and their signature works may be important from a historical perspective. Realizing the magnitude of this impact, one designer friend shares only one new design with the folding world each year, and the anticipation within the community of fans is palpable. Other designers seem to want to publish anything they can think of, and then they let the origami community play the part of the critical filter, as they weigh in with praise or critique. As society changes, our collective tastes in art also change, and it is instructive to look back. Good design is timeless, and while an origami creation is no less a product of the time in which it was developed, the artifacts of our civilization are snapshots that teach us about the human mind and the condition of society in that place, and at that instant.

Just Right

“I don’t know anything about art, but I know what I like,” is an oft-heard comment in art exhibitions. Since the public is essentially without knowledge about origami art, the first time your work is shown in public, it is sure to garner a wide range of reaction. The best strategy is to show the work that you are most comfortable showing, and that process of curating comes down to a simple question: “Is it just right?” Often, you won’t be able to put your finger on exactly what is troubling you about a piece of folded art, but you know that there is something that hasn’t yet gelled. Don’t show it yet. Let it simmer in your mind. Revisit the subject with a clear head. Try a different type of paper, a different size or fold it with some different tools or techniques. This is the fun of exploring origami art as a lifelong passion!