Origami

When thinking about which creative topic I would do my research on Origami came to mind because of the role it played in a TV show I love called Prison Break. The main character knowing origami could potentially have been the difference between their escape or a wrongful death. This obviously isn’t a very realistic situation, but it was interesting and got me to think about it later. There is much speculation about the origin of Origami. While Japan seems to have had the most extensive tradition, there is evidence of an independent tradition of paper folding in China, as well as in Germany, Italy and Spain among other places. However, because of the problems associated with preserving origami, there is very little direct evidence of its age or origins, aside from references in published material. In the early 1900s, Akira Yoshizawa, Kosho Uchiyama, and others began creating and recording original origami works. Akira Yoshizawa in particular was responsible for a number of innovations, such as wet-folding and the Yoshizawa–Randlett diagramming system, and his work inspired a renaissance of the art form. During the 1980s a number of folders started systematically studying the mathematical properties of folded forms, which led to a steady increase in the complexity of origami models, which continued well into the 1990s, after which some designers started returning to simpler forms.

 

 

Origami has changed quite a bit over the years, here is a list of some of the people who helped with its development and the ways they helped. Tomoko Fuse- famous for boxes and unit origami. Akira Yoshizawa - reinvented modern origami and created the modern repertoire of folding symbols. Nick Robinson- origami artist and author of 12 books on the subject. Florence Temko - a pioneer in spreading origami in the United States, is the most prolific author on this subject. With 55 books to her credit on paper arts and folk crafts, she has been a strong influence on interesting beginners in the art of paper folding. Origami may seem like it’s just folding paper but people like Toshikazu Kawasaki have used math to help them make advancements in origami that wouldn’t have been made otherwise. To be honest I had no idea that origami was such a complex and beautiful art form before this. The exact definition of origami is the art or process of folding paper into shapes representing flowers and birds. But I think origami can be defined as a whole by one word- majestic

Source- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origami