Thursday, November 27, 2008

Natural History Museum's Art & Science Family Day: "Beautiful Birds"


This is our second time at the Museum; we were there, maybe two years ago. The theme was birds. I've never been much for origami birds, so didn't have much in the way of exhibit models, pre-made. I wanted to do more complex ones, but ran out of time.



I was pleased to see two friends from my gymnastics life come by for a visit.



Happy Thanksgiving!


Photos here.

Happy Thanksgiving!




Hat tip: Douglas Philips on Origami-L (mailing List)

Monday, November 24, 2008

Yami gets away with "Grabbing the breast and pulling the tail"



This is Randlett's flapping bird.

I sometimes wince at Yami's humor when it borders on the edge of "inappropriate for children's ears".


There was one year that Yami apparently offended some wife of some program director at the JACC in downtown Los Angeles, during Children's Day. I only learned of it sometime later, when we stopped getting invited back, after two years of doing it. My contact didn't know the details, but I it's hard to imagine Yami offending anyone since he's so generous and kind; but I wonder if it had to do with humor like this?

I vaguely remember him phrasing something in a really funny way (I'm absolutely sure it was unintentional, and just came out funny) once, while teaching the Thai tulip. I don't remember the exact wording, but it had to do with the moment when you expand the model, like the waterbomb, by blowing air into it. To orient the students s to which way to hold the model, he said "this is the top and this is the bottom...." and pointed to his rear end.....then talked about blowing through the hole. I wish I could remember the way it came out, because it was hilarious. But I'm sure you can just imagine...


Have Furoshiki, will Travel

While closing up shop, there were still a few odds and ends on the table that Yami hadn't packed away yet. Yami showed us what to do with it.



From
Wikipedia:
"Furoshiki (風呂敷, furoshiki) are a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that were frequently used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods. Although possibly dating back as far as the Nara period, the name, meaning "bath spread", derives from the Edo period practice of using them to bundle clothes while at the sentō (public baths;public furo). Before becoming associated with public baths, furoshiki was known as hirazutsumi (平包), or flat folded bundle. Eventually, the furoshiki's usage extended to serve as a means for merchants to transport their wares or to protect and decorate a gift.

Modern furoshiki can be made of a variety of cloths, including silk, chirimen, cotton, rayon, and nylon. Furoshiki are often decorated with traditional designs or by shibori. There is no one set size for furoshiki, they can range from hand sized to larger than bed-sheets. The most common sizes are 45cm (17.7 inch) and 68-72cm (26.7-28.3 inch).

Although there are still furoshiki users in Japan, their numbers declined in the post-war period, in large part due to the proliferation of the plastic shopping bag. In recent years, it has seen a renewed interest as environmental protection became a concern. Furoshiki are, however, commonly used to wrap and transport lunch boxes (bento) and often double as a table mat for the lunch."

Yami also sent me this link diagramming how to do this.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Yami Folds Under Pressure

While showing my friend Thea how easy it is to piece together Kenneth Kawamura's butterfly ball using a "third hand" template, Yami goofs it up the 2nd time around- a rarity:

Joe Charms the Women with a Change of Heart



I can't tell you how often Joe charms the ladies with this model.


Steve Hecht has diagrams for anyone interested in folding one.

Joe Demonstrates the Flying "Catch" Fish




Unbelievable how Joe can take something so simple as to not raise my eyebrow, and turn it into a thing of magic that delights kids; adults find their hearts melt back to the wonders of childhood, as well.

This video shows you how to make the cuts for the tail (calls it a paper blimp).

Origami Redpaper

I love these models by Origami Redpaper (Seo Won Seon):











Blogsite here. He has a few teaching videos, including this flapping bat and a very cool peacock, where you can position the feathers to spread out or remain closed.