Origami is a traditional Japanese craft and artwork made from a single sheet of paper. It's like magic. Our today's theme is "geometric patterns." Meet a Japanese artist who uses translucent paper to create kaleidoscopic geometric patterns and an artist from the United States who creates meticulous origami crease patterns. Also, our origami expert "Dr. Origami" will teach you how to make an easy-to-fold "cherry blossom." Welcome to the magical world of origami!
Starring: Kenichi Takitoh (Dr. Origami)
Ready, steady, magic!
Do you know what "origami" is?
It is magic made from a single sheet of paper.
Origami is an easy, yet profound traditional Japanese culture,
which can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere, with anyone!
Today, we showcase the amazingly imaginative creations of origami artists from around the globe.
Also, stay tuned for an origami lesson with our expert Dr. Origami!
He will teach us a few folding tricks in a fun and easy-to-follow way.
Get ready to see the extraordinary Origami Magic!
Dr. Origami, what is our today's theme?
It's "geometric patterns!"
Oh！ "Geometric patterns?"
The West Coast of the US is known for an active art scene.
There is a unique art exhibition show held in the suburbs of San Francisco.
With fifty 15-centimeter squares as canvas, paintings,
designs, and three-dimensional sculptures line the walls.
Held annually, this art exhibition attracts artists from all around the world.
This man is a regular participant at this event.
Gorgeous geometric patterns are created by complex and intricate folds.
When viewed from the side, they appear as three-dimensional sculptures,
when in fact they are origami, made from a single sheet of paper.
They are works of Goran Konjevod, who lives in San Francisco's Bay Area.
Konjevod is a mathematician and a computer scientist.
When he was teaching at a university, he even used origami in class.
He calls his works "organic origami."
The flat origami patterns can be shaped freely into three-dimensional sculptures.
How does he create them?
This is where I keep most of my paper.
When selecting paper, Konjevod primarily takes into account its strength.
What I use depends, very much on what I'm trying to fold.
From very thin, almost transparent tissues, to paper that is so thick and heavy, it is almost impossible to fold.
Sometimes, he makes his own custom paper.
This paper, for example, was infused with pigments and beeswax.
A unique gradient pattern is created in this process.
Konjevod's creativity is fully demonstrated in his process of folding paper.
He starts by precreasing a grid of squares.
He then fold pleats based on the creases.
After twenty minutes of folding, the paper is covered with fine pleats, from edge to edge.
In the next step, Konjevod uses a certain folding technique.
He makes pleat rearrangements, by refolding the overlapping creases.
Thanks to this technique, the paper becomes more pliable, and can be shaped freely, almost like clay.
If there are folds in the sheet, then you can stretch the paper,
and those folds will unfold, letting you create new shapes and forms and surfaces.
For the finishing touches, he stretches the paper giving it the final shape, and... voila!
He has created a new origami artwork.
Using this method, he has folded over 750 origami creations.
Despite being a mathematician, his origami artworks are not the result of precise calculations.
I rarely use my knowledge of math or geometry in order to create my pieces.
I sort of think of nothing and just work through the process.
The improvisation is often how I come across some of my designs.
I see something else that I wasn't quite expecting, and it can take me in a different direction.
What is so fascinating about his works is that they change with time, and sometimes unexpectedly.
This is one of his works right after completion.
And this is how it looked five years later.
Goran Konjevod, the man captivated by the charm of paper, that can be transformed into anything...
What are his goals for the future?
I hope that at some point in the future origami can be seen as a sculptural medium,
on par with other types of sculpture, with materials such as clay or ceramics.
They can move closer to an accepted art form.
You too can make magic happen with a piece of paper!
It's time for Dr. Origami's origami lesson!
Folding time!
Doctor, what are we making today?
A cherry blossom!
Cherry blossoms are special to Japanese people.
Let's make origami flowers blossom!
Let's make origami!
For a cherry blossom, we need five pieces of paper.
First, we fold it in half, making a triangle.
Now we fold both of the side corners
to align with the top corner.
There.
This part here...
Spread it open, then flatten it.
Repeat on the other side.
Spread it open, then flatten it.
Doing that gives us this shape.
Like this.
Then, we take this corner...
Fold it forward.
Repeat on the other side.
Did you manage?
Next, we fold this triangular part in half.
Fold this side in the same way!
Now we have this shape.
That concludes the folding process.
Do the same for all five pieces of paper.
Doctor, how do we finish it?
As usual, the finishing touches...
You already know.
I'll show you later!
Okay, Doctor．
Colorful flowers, just like in a kaleidoscope.
It almost looks as if they are shining.
This is translucent origami.
It is a type of an easy-to-fold origami that has recently come to be appreciated by people around the world...
These origami motifs are meant to be enjoyed as window decorations, that reflect natural light.
They were folded by Nakamura Kayo, from Japan.
She designs origami models suitable for anyone, and is involved in creating a community for origami enthusiasts.
It is very simple.
You just fold square pieces of paper.
My models use only valley folds, no cuts.
Since they are simple to fold,
they can be casually enjoyed.
Nakamura crafts her translucent origami creations by combining a set number of parts.
She shows us how to fold it.
She uses thin paper, meant for translucent origami, but it can be substituted with tracing or thin washi paper.
First, she folds the paper in half.
Then, she divides it in fourths, by folding the edges to the center.
And then, in eighths.
The trick is to perfectly align the corners
and make sharp creases.
She glues the folds together.
This time, she folds the corners to the center.
Keep folding it symmetrically.
It took her nine steps, and less than a minute and a half, to make one folded part.
She folds three more of these.
Finally, after placing the parts side by side in a circle and gluing them at the center, translucent origami is complete.
When letting the light shine through it, the color contrast gets
even more pronounced, and creates a gorgeous geometric pattern.
There is one thing that Nakamura bears in mind, when coming up with a new origami model.
My policy is to create models
so simple that no matter...
how much of a beginner can fold
if they put their mind to it.
The reason behind this policy is one of her kindergarten memories.
It happened during arts and crafts classes, when they were folding origami stars.
Out of all the children, Nakamura was the only one who failed to make it.
I vividly remember bursting into tears.
I really wanted to make it,
but couldn't in the end.
I know first-hand how frustrating it feels
when you attempt to do something and fail.
Nakamura had barely done any origami since that awful day.
But then, she came across translucent origami, while folding paper models with her son, who was five at the time.
She was charmed by its beauty and the fun it gave her.
Soon after, she started the translucent origami community.
It currently counts around 50 members.
They meet online once a month, to fold origami together.
Many of the members are busy with chores, child-rearing, or caring for their elderly parents.
They give their all for their loved ones every day.
When folding origami, they can be themselves.
I often hear that it is an important time
for them when they can relax and smile.
The community has been expanding its activities, by holding exhibitions at museums and hosting origami workshops.
I love seeing people's eyes light up when they see
how their origami models glimmer in the light.
You could call it a communication tool.
The fun is contagious.
This is also an opportunity to connect
with people without words .
Doctor, let's finish up our cherry blossom!
For the petals, we start with our five folded parts.
We'll use some glue.
Apply glue to the side faces.
Fold them inward, and glue them together.
Repeat for the other four.
We now have all five petals ready.
Next...
We apply glue to the petals, too.
We attach the parts we just made to one another,
one by one.
Stick them together in a radial pattern.
We get cherry blossoms around the end of March.
For about two weeks, they bloom beautifully.
Everyone's looking for cherry blossoms
during school entrance ceremonies.
They'll take pictures in front of the flowers.
But, for many of us, it rained the day before, and
regrettably almost all of the petals had fallen off.
Aww... While we were chatting, he put all five petals together!
Our cherry blossom is complete.
Put them on a branch, and it's always cherry blossom season!
It's so pretty!
How was it, everyone? Did you manage to make magic?
It's ORIGAMI MAGIC!
How did you like the geometric patterns crafted by the talented origami artists?
The beautiful shapes, that can be woven with paper, will let you experience another magical side of origami.
What other paper creations are waiting for us to discover?
We hope you will join us again on "Origami Magic!"
Have a magical origami life, everyone!