The traditional Japanese art of folding a sheet of paper into objects and figures is known as origami. Ori means “folded,” while kami means “paper.” Though there is some debate about origami’s origins, a Japanese poem from the late 17th century is the first documented reference to a figurine made of folded paper. Steps were taken to establish origami as an art form in the early 1900s. Artists in Japan and elsewhere created fantastic new sculptures from simply folded paper, thanks to the development of a visual diagramming system and the invention of innovative techniques.
Origami can be made with any type of paper, in any size. They’re usually sold in 6- or 7-inch (15.5- or 17.8-cm) squares, prepackaged. On one side, each sheet is usually colored or decoratively patterned, while the other is solid white. This contrast is sometimes crucial to the design of a folded figure. Paper money, newspaper, and thin paper backed with colored tin foil are all popular materials for paper folding.
Approximately 95% of the thousands of recorded sculptural art forms made folding paper begin as a perfect square. This is partly due to the fact that it is the simplest shape to prepare geometrically. The even diagonal and bisecting folds of the square are essential to origami art, which frequently depicts nature’s bilateral and radial symmetry. Flora and flowers, masks and people figures, and animals such as fish and insects are among the most popular creations. Some are made up of unusual starting shapes like a diamond or a right triangle.
Only a few basic folds exist. The valley fold is concave, while the peak fold is convex, with the stairstep fold in between. The pocket and hood folds, which are tucked under or over themselves, with the latter hood fold flipped to show the paper’s white side, are the most important of the basic folds. Although purists of origami art abhor the practice, the paper is occasionally cut to form difficult shapes such as an animal’s ears. A few basic folds can be combined and sequenced to create thousands of different designs.
The bird is the most iconic figure in origami paper art, and the flying crane is the undisputed masterwork. For most Japanese children, learning how to build it is a rite of passage. The crane, like many other birds, has an intermediate stage called the Bird Base, which is made up of the same basic series of folds. The Frog Base is one of several standard shapes from which a wide range of figures can be created. These base forms can be classified in part based on how many pointed parts they have.
While not difficult to learn, origami art does necessitate some technical proficiency; some of the basic folds can be awkward and difficult to master at first. The easier it is to fold larger sheets of paper. It helps to have a basic understanding of geometry. Good spatial perception — the ability to virtually manipulate and visualize a three-dimensional object — is also beneficial. Boxes, boats, hats, and inflatable balls are examples of practical items that can be made.
The introduction of computer processing has had an impact on origami. The study of folded forms’ mathematical and geometric properties has resulted in increasingly complex paper sculptures. Compound origami, which entails the interlocking of two or more folded shapes, such as the front and back halves of a running deer, has resulted in extremely intricate and large-scale structures. Technical origami, also known as Blueprint origami, uses a computer to convert a three-dimensional vector drawing into a hypothetical map of folds and creases required to turn a flat sheet of paper into the object.