Re: [Origami] Hatori Masao
On Apr 14, 2013, at 7:02 PM, boon wrote: Robert Lang wrote : (snip) ... Back in the 1990s, in the heyday of the Bug Wars, I used to send insect diagrams to HATORI Masao, who folded them and exhibited them at Tanteidan events and regularly sent folded versions back to me. .. (snip) Robert, besides his amazing renditions of your insects, I also remember being completely blown away by his interpretation of Peter Engel's octopus. One question I have been wanting to ask : Is Hatori still folding? Really hope he is as I would love to see more of his exquisite works. Regards, Boon Ditto from me on the beauty of Hatori Masao's folding. Many years ago, I visited his family's sushi shop and saw models of Robert's, John Montroll's, mine, and others in glass display cases. They were extraordinary. It gave me an appreciation not only for Hatori's folding artistry but also for the craft of making sushi and, in turn, for the degree of skill and focus that can be brought to all disciplines. Peter Engel, Architect 2748 Adeline Street, Suite B Berkeley, CA 94703 (510) 919-4333 peterengelarchit...@earthlink.net
[Origami] Production of the play Animals Out of Paper in San Jose
Folders who live in the San Francisco Bay area may be interested in seeing a production of Animals Out of Paper by the Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Rajiv Joseph. It runs from September 19 through October 20 at the City Lights Theater Company in San Jose. In the play, three characters are brought together by their passion for paperfolding and the results are both comic and explosive. Joseph raises profound questions about the nature of creativity, what it takes to forge lasting human relationships, and whether the two can commingle. Robert Lang provided advice to the production and I contributed an essay to the teaching guide and a display at the theater. For tickets, see the City Lights website cltc.org. --Peter Engel
Re: [Origami] Folding Architecture: Top 10 Origami-Inspired Buildings - Architizer
> Thought some on this list may be interested in seeing some > origami-inspired buildings: > > http://architizer.com/blog/folding-architecture-top-10-origami-inspired-buildings/ > > I'm not in the field, so perhaps some architects on this list may wish > to weigh in on the pros and cons of this website? It's great to see "origami-inspired" buildings, but here's my reaction to nearly all of the designs: Fussy! The blurb that appears before the images says, "Architects love origami because it achieves what buildings rarely do: frame space through extreme economy of means." I don't see economy of means at all, but rather folded planes used purely as a form of expression. Only the least "origami-like" one of them all, the one called Origami House in Barcelona, looks clean and purposeful from the photo. I don't have a problem with expressionistic architecture, but it has to be coherent and beautiful and not pretend to be functionally-driven when it's not. I'm appreciative to Patsy for sending along both web links. I'm currently preparing a lecture for the local American Institute of Architects chapter on my origami and architectural designs and how they have inspired and learned from each other. These images certainly provide food for thought. --Peter Engel
[Origami] Origami on ebay
Greetings Holiday Shoppers! Each day from the beginning of November through the end of December, ebay is featuring a holiday-themed origami design that appears as a tiny vignette in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. The company asked me to make 15 designs based on specific images including a turkey, Santa Claus, Christmas tree, Christmas wreath, dreidel, polar bear, cardinal, bells, etc. Some of what I produced is single-piece origami from a square, while other designs (by necessity, given the image they're based on) are composed of multiple pieces and are more like paper craft. Two images have already appeared that are earlier designs of mine, a reindeer and a couple of penguins. Unfortunately, the images only seem to appear on some people's computers, perhaps depending on whether one is a frequent ebay user or not (they have yet to show up on my screen). But if you can find them. . . enjoy! (And if anyone can uncover the secret for how to make them appear, please let me know.) --Peter Engel
Re: [Origami] A good origami cause!
Ali Bahmani and his colleague Kiumars, both residents of Iran, are attending the 6OSME conference and 20th Origami Tanteidan Convention in Tokyo, Japan, starting this weekend. They are asking for any help the origami community can give them to support their trip. I've gotten to know Ali and Kiumars recently after a long time corresponding with Ali via internet. They're kind, thoughtful people who have already put the Iranian origami community on the map and will certainly contribute much to the origami world in the years to come. They fully deserve whatever financial support for their trip anyone can offer them. Peter Engel
Re: [Origami] History of Origami
On Nov 16, 2014, at 6:47 PM, Andrew Hudson wrote: > On Sun, Nov 16, 2014 at 12:36 PM, Ricardo Borges > wrote: > >> Origami from Angelfish to Zen" Peter Engel >> >> Excelent content about origami history!!! >> > > Not exactly. Peter Engel's book is a fascinating read, and full of > interesting ideas about the psychology of creativity, patterns in nature, > etc. But as I think Peter will readily admit, much of the historical > information is based on sources that turned out to be inaccurate. And > that's not really his fault-- there was a lot of misinformation floating > around, often from sources that seemed reliable, and not much hard evidence > was known or publicly available. > > -- Andrew Peter readily admits that at least some of the historical information in Folding the Universe: Origami from Angelfish to Zen is based on sources that turned out to be inaccurate. As I already wrote to Anna, who originally posed the question, my book is already 25 years old (gasp!), my sources were all in English rather than in Japanese, and I would trust anything that David Lister wrote over anything in my book. I appreciate both Andrew's critical candor and his compliments. --Peter Engel
[Origami] Commercial opportunity for folders in the New York metropolitan area
Hi Folders, Here's an opportunity for a folder in the New York Metropolitan area. Note the imminent submission deadline. Good luck! POPULAR SNACK FOOD COMPANY SEEKING ORIGAMI FOLDERS FOR INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA COMMERCIAL Liz Lewis Casting Partners is casting origami artists from the New York Tri-State area for a commercial shoot in Brooklyn on May 24th. Looking for Asian male and female folders age 30+ of all skill levels. Comfort in front of the camera is a must! Rate is $670 for the shoot, and $2,512.50 for one year internet and social. Stills will be pulled from the video to be used for internet and social media as well, plus $250 for unlimited edits. SHOOT DATE: 5/24 SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 5/5 To submit, please send a video of yourself folding origami to assist...@lizlewis.com. For any further questions, please contact Liz Lewis Casting Partners at ( 212) 645-1500. --Peter Engel
Re: [Origami] Recreating Yoshizawa's unpublished models
> On Mar 5, 2017, at 11:25 PM, Anna wrote: > > 2017-03-05 23:10 GMT+01:00 Zack Brown : >> >> Given that scientists can use x-rays and other techniques to fathom >> things like the antikythera device from a mashed up hunk of ocean >> debris, couldn't similar techniques be used to deconstruct Yoshizawa's >> unpublished models? > > The first question here is, is it worth it? Are the models interesting > enough that a wider audience would like to fold them? > The second question is, why so complicated? There are people like me in > this community who basically have this x-ray view without needing special > equipment to decipher a model. In the end it comes down to experience and 3 > dimensional thinking. If I see an Origami model, I've got a pretty good > idea how to fold it and I know I'm not alone, but here we come back to > question one, is it worthwhile? > > Nice Greetings > > Anna from Vienna, Austria When I first met Yoshizawa at his house in the early 1980s, he pulled dozens and dozens of models from boxes, one at a time, and only let me see them for a few seconds each. When I asked if he could leave them out longer, he said that he didn’t want me to figure out how to fold them. I doubt that I could have. The question is whether today we have a right to unfold (even if by X-ray) the designs of someone who may not have wanted us to do so. Just because Yoshizawa published instructions to some of his models doesn’t mean he would have wanted to publish instructions to all of them. It’s akin to publishing a manuscript or musical score that a writer or composer might not have wanted to see the light of day, which is why some of those drafts ended up in the fireplace. I don’t think there’s an obvious answer to this question, but it’s worth pondering. Best, Peter Engel
[Origami] Recommending the new novel "A Thousand Paper Birds"
I’m writing to recommend an extraordinary new novel, A Thousand Paper Birds, by the first-time British novelist Tor (short for Victoria) Udall. Origami lies at the heart of this impassioned and deeply empathetic novel, not only because it is the artistic medium explored by one of its principal characters, but also because of the author’s preoccupation with the complex folding and unfolding of lives over time. With great subtlety, Udall demonstrates how human relationships can grow ever more interconnected, sometimes to the point of entrapment, where escape seems nigh impossible. And yet, in the potential unfolding of any origami model to the flat paper from whence it came, she finds a deeply moving metaphor for release and redemption. The novel, set in and around Kew Gardens in London, concerns the deeply interwined lives of five characters: Jonah, a once-aspiring musician and composer, now teacher at a secondary school, who mourns the sudden loss of his wife, Audrey, and of the inspiration that music once provided him; Chloe, the shaven-headed, highly strung origami artist who finds fulfillment in the creation of intricate paper designs and, eventually, in Jonah’s arms; Milly, a light-hearted but soulful girl who roams Kew Gardens, and whose family remains a mystery; Harry, a veteran gardener at Kew who takes Milly under his wing as a kind of surrogate father; and Audrey, whose profound presence is felt throughout the novel in the memories of the other four characters and in the feverish voice that emanates from her diaries. It’s not surprising to read that the author once ran a dance company, as there is an intricate choreography to her characters who pair and unpair in subtle and surprising ways. There is a sixth character as well: Kew Gardens itself, abundant with ancient plants and teeming with the interconnected lives of its thousands of human visitors. Kew serves both a repository of history (the innumerable benches placed in memory of friends and family lost) and, in the seasonal regeneration of its plant life, the rupturing of historical inevitability, the opening up of hope and renewal. Harry, who we learn lost his family in World War II, has found the courage to move on in the churning of the soil and in his nurturing of Millie. Jonah seeks respite and peace in the serenity of the gardens, Chloe in the waterfowl that inspire her origami designs, including the paper birds that she secretly distributes among the gardens. A Thousand Paper Birds is an intense, ensemble piece that draws us so closely into the lives of its five protagonists to be, at times, uncomfortable; it was with nervousness and guilt that I found myself reading Audrey’s private diaries, eavesdropping on Chloe’s intimate thoughts and conversations, and listening in on Jonah’s sessions with his shrink. But just when the intensity of the protagonists’ relationships and inner lives begins to feel claustrobic, the novel makes a startling shift into a spiritual (if not supernatural) realm that brings with it the breath of redemption—the loosening of the folds that will allow the characters to make peace with the lives they’ve lived. Throughout the book, the author invokes the spirit of Akira Yoshizawa, quoting often from the interview I conducted with him over thirty years ago. (Full disclosure: Udall provided me a free book, but it was my idea to write this review.) Udall’s profound understanding of the spiritual and philosophical urge to fold a piece of paper, create a pattern, make a connection, and transform blank matter into life informs this magnificent novel from beginning to end. A Thousand Paper Birds is available at both the UK and USA versions of amazon.com <http://amazon.com/>. --Peter Engel
Re: [Origami] Origami Brain
> On Oct 11, 2018, at 8:29 PM, FOLD wrote: > > Is there a diagram for a brain out > there? Chris Itoh has designed an origami brain and other body parts—definitely try to get a hold of him. You could try this e-mal address: cyi...@gmail.com. —Peter Engel
Re: [Origami] problem folding Akira Yoshizawa's crab from Sosaku (Creative) Origami
> On Oct 25, 2020, at 6:15 PM, Laura R wrote: > > Hello friends, > > In Akira Yoshizawa’s crab (Sosaku Origami) I’m stuck on steps 12-13. I’ll > appreciate any guidance to decipher the diagram. > > Thanks! > > Laura Rozenberg Hi Laura, One of the blintzed corners is hidden inside. In step 11, the arrows show you to spread the sides, and in step 12, to pull out the trapped paper. In step 13, the blintzed corner is completely exposed. Hope that helps! Best, Peter
Re: [Origami] Where does the comparison between origami and music come from?
On Sep 23, 2023, at 6:38 PM, gera...@neorigami.com wrote: I'm curious about it. Where does this idea come from? Who was the first to propose it and where did he or she do it? Hi Gerardo, I’m sure there’s not a “first,” but when I wrote about origami and music in my book Folding the Universe (1989), I don’t believe that I had come across anything written prior to that. A number of creative paperfolders are skilled musicians, so music is likely an impetus, conscious or unconscious, in their design process. I’m not a performer, but classical music has been important to me my entire adult life, and I know that it has influenced my design process as well. —Peter Engel
Re: [Origami] where does the comparison between origami and music come from?
"I’d also just like to see if Peter Engel perhaps would tell us a bit more. I think in Folding the Universe you quote Yoshizawa on the same subject… and Arthur L Loeb mentions music in the introduction too. Peter it would be interesting if you can remember - was there a conversation with Yoshizawa specifically on this subject? Did you arrive at this idea together or independently? . . . Here’s a Yoshizawa quote from Peter’s book: “Learning those traditional models is just like playing music written by other composers, and origami books are still like that. But it's very hard to go from that style into free and creative origami. It's not a matter of time. People who can't create won't create, even if they spend the whole of their lives.” —Lee Armstrong __ Hi Lee, I’m delighted that you’re familiar with Folding the Universe, including the Foreword by my wonderful professor and mentor, Arthur Loeb. I reread my interview with Yoshizawa (it’s been a long time) and found these references to music in addition to the one you quote: “Of course it helps to start young. To be a composer, for example, the child needs exposure to music, though it doesn’t mean he himself has to be a good piano player.” “When I do origami, I listen to nature, not with these ears but with the ears of my heart.” The second is not strictly about music, but it’s very clear that Yoshizawa drew inspiration from everything around him in both the natural and human-made world. In his Foreword, Arthur Loeb mentions music in reference to the text in my book. Loeb was truly a polymath, highly accomplished as a musician, dancer, crystallographer, mathematician, and overall synthesizer of many disciplines. He used to demonstrate to us the connection between folk-dancing and the geometry of crystals, which seemed like a bit of a stretch until he graphically analyzed for us the patterns made by people moving around the dance floor. Loeb was a good friend of M.C. Escher’s during Loeb’s early years in the Netherlands and of Buckminster Fuller's during Loeb’s long tenure at Harvard. I encourage everyone to google him to learn more. In conclusion, it is hardly surprising to me that many people with diverse interests in the arts and sciences would recognize the strong connection between origami and music. Best, Peter
