A photo that I really like - as soon as I saw the print, flicking through the packet I'd just got from Snappy Snaps, I thought, "Yes. Ooh. Yes." Which partly goes to show how carefully I have honed my critical vocabulary.
However, I also suspect that people passing by this on screen (and I write this without knowing what the thumbnail will be ) will go "nuh - double exposure" and pass on, while I knew it was a reflection in the window of Oxfam where there's currently a display of origami cranes.
Why this should make any difference to how I (or you) value the image is something that I can't put my finger on.
Whatever - this is part of a roll taken to see how Kodak BW400CN shaped up, and - IMHO - it shapes up very well: great blacks, crisp and sharp...
Husband Mike checking in with what is probably our most normal cake of the season, the Origami Crane Wedding Cake.
Read the entire entry.
We have one coming up next week that is sort of a normal wedding cake on steroids, but the Origami cake is a terrific representation of the kind of standard wedding cakes that we do. It is elegant with some nice detail and size appropriate. You see these giant cakes on all these shows and that is more the exception than the rule. This time we delivered a cake to both feed and light up the room.Marc did the consultation this time, a rarity for him. I think he did a good job though! Sometimes one of thehardest parts of meeting with the couple is helping them get what they need. If you come to us, you’re getting our years of experience and that means our professional opinion. We’ll do everything possible to give you what you want, but we will also make sure it works for your wedding as well. Marc recognized that a full origami crane made of cake would be too big and too expensive for their budget and wedding size, so he steered them towards a more traditional base with that awesome chocolate painted crane on top. We actually found a simple silver and red patterned piece of origami paper and that is what was used for the crane’s final look.
I just want to say a big thank you to my mom’s friend Shoko who is an origami master and took time out of her schedule to make up a couple little crane’s for us to reference. They were invaluable to the process and a whole lot quicker than us trying to figure it out!
At Merci Beaucoup Cakes Marc takes an order for an origami crane wedding cake. His first challenge is to talk the couple out of their original design. Then he must create a white chocolate crane. This is a real test of his artistic talent since he’s never done this before.
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| Joseph Wu Origami Inc. on Facebook |
A couple of years ago I wrote a paper for the Journal of Mathematics and the
Arts, titled "A Pajarita Puzzle Cube in Papiroflexia", about the underlying
mathematics of a modular cube that has the silhouette of a Pajarita on each
face. The "puzzle" aspect is that even after you've folded the 12 units, it
is not at all obvious how to assemble them in such a way that one obtains a
perfect Pajarita on each face.
I just learned that for a brief time, JMA is offering the paper as a free
download (normally it's behind a paywall), and so if you'd like to fold the
units (folding instructions included), try the puzzle, or create your own
version, here's the link:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17513472. 2013.765311
Enjoy!
Robert
P.S. Oh, and I also just learned that it was awarded "Best paper of 2014" by
the journal. That's the "tootiness" of this post.
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| The Bloom blanket was created by Bianca Cheng Costanzo, an ex-Apple designer and veteran of the MIT |
As chilly weather drags on, there's still time to curl up on the couch under a nice cozy blanket. But most blankets are just so...flat. Not in terms of color or impact, but literally, they're flat, because they're a flat piece or knit of fabric. Not so with the Bloom, an art- and science-inspired blanket that's currently on Kickstarter.
Bloom was created by Bianca Cheng Costanzo, a Brazilian-born half-Chinese and half-Italian woman raised in California who dropped out of MIT (where she was a part of the famous MIT Media Lab) and worked as a designer at Apple (phew!). All of that, she says, comes into play with Bloom: a blanket inspired by both the origami she played with as a child and the tessellations she explored at MIT, created from soft Italian fabric.
Bloom is a blanket with a surprisingly three-dimensional design, constructed by sewing woolen tetrahedrons together. The final result is familiar, a pleasantly bumpy spread of pyramids that looks like a paper fortune teller. The material, Costanzo says, is Italian cashmere, and just stiff enough to maintain its shape. It's available in both white and grey and costs $249. At the moment, Costanzo is raising money on Kickstarter, where she's already demolished her funding goal. From a goal of $14,050, she's secured well over $160,000 already, with more than a week to go.
PROVO — Students at Brigham Young University have turned paper-folding into mathematical wizardry, building remarkable designs and shapes in a high-tech evolution innovating space travel and beyond.
With backing from government and private funding, BYU engineering and industrial design students have been experimenting with origami, going beyond paper to create designs out of metals and other fabrications.
“You would think that as a field of exploration it would have been played out long ago, but the opposite is true,” said world-renowned origami artist Robert Lang.
Lang comes to campus routinely to work with faculty and students.
The Thunderclapper is a simple card and paper toy that was often included as a free gift inside traditional comics. If you have a bit of card and paper handy, you can make one yourself very simply.
A square of card is folded along the diagonal, and a triangular piece of paper is fastened inside. Traditionally this was glued in place, but sticky tape will do just as well. Fold the paper inside the Thunderclapper, hold it by the corner, and flick downwards. The paper pops out with something of a bang.
A simple toy, but lots of fun.
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| 3-27-2013 Descanso Garden Original photo taken by Yami's friend Kazuyoshi ITO |
Design student Nicole Pannuzzo’s project features an innovative redesign of Colgate’s toothpaste packaging by imagining it as a collapsible tube.
The origami-like packaging means that instead of squeezing the bottom of the tube, users press down on the folded sides to get the toothpaste out. The tube becomes smaller as the amount of toothpaste decreases.
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Sue Yi, 12, taking a look at a bird-shaped origami for flight MH370 made by the public to pray for the safe return of the crew and passengers of the jetliner. — Bernama photo
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| Origami cranes as symbol of hope |
MH370 Penangites have come together to fold paper cranes and offer prayers for passengers and crew and their families as the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 enters its ninth day.
Hundreds of colourful paper cranes lined the front of the Whiteaways building in the morning event, organised by Occupy Beach Street, which saw many, including tourists and politicians, show their solidarity with the victims of the missing plane.
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| Sok Song |
Am I the only person to wants to see either:-
a) a flip book of Sok jumping and/or
b) an animated gif of all the Sok-jumps with Sok in roughly the same position, but with the photos fading from one to the other. Effectively an almost motionless Sok with changing background
Akira Yoshizawa (1911–2005) is widely regarded as the father of the modern origami art form. Over the course of his life, he created tens of thousands of origami works and pioneered many of the artistic techniques used by modern-day origami artists, most notably the technique of wet-folding, which allowed the use of thick papers and created soft curves, gentle shapes and rounded, organic forms. He also developed a notation for origami that has now been the standard for origami instruction for more than 50 years.
Yoshizawa took up Japan's traditional folk art of origami in his 20s, and eventually left his job at a factory to focus full-time on his origami creations. His work came to the attention of the west in 1955, after an exhibition of his works in Amsterdam, and rapidly spread around the world. In his last decades, he received worldwide renown and invitations from all over, culminating in his award in 1983 of the Order of the Rising Sun.
I had the great fortune to meet Yoshizawa several times. In 1988, he came to New York to visit The Friends of the Origami Center of America, and spoke at a panel discussion I attended. There, he addressed a wide range of topics: one's mental attitude, the importance of character, of natural qualities, of having one's "spirit within [the artwork's] folds." Although he was the consummate artist, his work and approach was infused with the mathematical and geometric underpinnings of origami as well as a deep aesthetic sense:
“My origami creations, in accordance with the laws of nature, require the use of geometry, science, and physics. They also encompass religion, philosophy, and biochemistry. Over all, I want you to discover the joy of creation by your own hand…the possibility of creation from paper is infinite.” - Akira Yoshizawa
While there were other Japanese artists who explored their country’s folk art contemporaneously with Yoshizawa, his work inspired the world through a combination of grace, beauty, variety and clarity of presentation. To him, each figure, even if folded from the same basic plan, was a unique object with a unique character.
In 1992, I was invited to address the Nippon Origami Association at their annual meeting in Japan, and my hosts arranged for me to meet the great Yoshizawa at his home and studio. When I was ushered into the inner sanctum, Yoshizawa greeted me, grinning, and then proceeded to show me box after box after drawer of the most extraordinarily folded works I had ever seen.
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| Designed by Eric Joisel Folded by Michael Sanders From elephant hide (Wyndstone paper), 2004 or 2005 |
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| Flooky's in Woodland hills, CA |
Zoetrope is an an animated vintage toy that was originally developed in 1830s. The Zoetrope has recently been a major feature in the film, “The Woman In Black” starring Daniel Radcliffe.It doesn't appear to be on the market any longer. If you're a decent illustrator and like craft projects, perhaps you could make your own? Maybe I'll do one, myself.
This is a modern replica of a traditional Zoetrope. A zoetrope is a device that produces the illusion of motion from a rapid succession of static pictures.
The zoetrope consists of a cylinder with slits cut vertically in the sides. On the inner surface of the cylinder is a band with images from a set of sequenced pictures. As the cylinder spins, the user looks through the slits at the pictures across. The scanning of the slits keeps the pictures from simply blurring together, and the user sees a rapid succession of images, producing the illusion of motion.
Just insert an animation strip, spin the drum and look through the slots. The pictures instantly spring to life! Eagles flap, Orcas dive, frogs jump and more! Change the 18 included picture strips at will. Then, try sketching on the six included Draw-Your-Own strips. Anyone can be an animator! Our Zoetrope’s compact elegance and smooth performance remains unmatched in the world of animation toys. Originally designed by Fred DaMert and Bill Hanlon in 1992 and sold by the DaMert Company, this timeless favorite has been off the market for years. Now, with Fred’s blessing, we’ve proudly brought it back. Not only did we use the original tooling to make this durable plastic toy, we’ve faithfully reproduced and included the original twelve picture strips designed by celebrated animator Ruth Hayes. And that’s not all. We’ve added six NEW picture strips and six “Draw-Your-Own strips!” The included instruction booklet provides a history of this classic invention, explains how it works, and tells you how to bring your own drawings to life.
Eric Scneider's amazing space saving unfolding apartment fits neatly into one wall - a wall that interior designer Michael Che was able to fit a kitchen, closet, bed, bathroom and office into.
Mountain Folding is an experiment coming from the desire of creating an experience wider than the traditional origami conventions. The idea is to combine a vacation among paperfolders and a summer camp with activities especially oriented toward creativity aspects, experimenting and sharing different techniques and styles.
The idea was born enjoying a late night talk during the 2013 CDO convention, it was a shared dream seemingly utopian at first; it then turned into a real project, made possible by the logistical support of Madesimo Tourists Office, the hosting village, and by CDO who put their trust in this event granting their patronage.
Mountain Folding will take place in August, 20th to 31st, during this period origami workshops and group activities will be accompanied by some outdoor extra-origami activities to have fun together and take inspiration by the observation of Nature. Each participant can freely choose whether to take part to the full convention or stay just for a few days.
We decided for a long duration of the convention, in order to give the participants the opportunity to know each other better and produce the best conditions for sharing and exchanging. In addition to origami-related aspects, Mountain Folding offers the opportunity of enjoying a vacation on the beautiful Italian Alps and practicing sports or cultural activities in the company of other paperfolders and families.Interesting idea.
What if your kids could print out their own microscope and carry it around in their back pockets? What if doctors in developing nations had access to simple, inexpensive microscopes that they could use to instantly and efficiently diagnose diseases? What if both of those innovations were the same thing?
Perhaps you’ve punched out a paper doll or folded an origami swan? TED Fellow Manu Prakash and his team have created a microscope made of paper that's just as easy to fold and use. A sparkling demo that shows how this invention could revolutionize healthcare in developing countries … and turn almost anything into a fun, hands-on science experiment.Wired:
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| Jim Cowling's on-the-spot handiwork |
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| Millimeter-scale
microflyers, called RoboBees, are assembled by folding. The scaffolding
that performs the automated folding is shown in the design drawing in a
later figure and video. (Image courtesy of Robert J. Wood.) |
It highlights many self folding creations, some of which have been brought to attention here before. There is also an article an geometry that might be of interest to advance folders. -TomNon-members/non-subscribers need to pay a fee in order to view the contents. But here's an abstract:
In the current trend toward miniaturization, the sizes in between “normal” and “microscopic” get a bit neglected. Wood discusses various methods that his group has developed to construct electromechanical devices with feature sizes in the millimeter range, which he calls the meso-scale. He particularly describes work on devices inspired by children’s pop-up books, where items are formed flat using laser cutting and then folded into 3D shapes. By sandwiching layers and using movable folds, Wood can create functional devices such as small flying robots, surgical instruments, or environmental sensors.The article entitled The Challenge of Manufacturing Between Macro and Micro:
In the current trend toward miniaturization, the sizes in between “normal” and “microscopic” get a bit neglected. Wood discusses various methods that his group has developed to construct electromechanical devices with feature sizes in the millimeter range, which he calls the meso-scale. He particularly describes work on devices inspired by children’s pop-up books, where items are formed flat using laser cutting and then folded into 3D shapes. By sandwiching layers and using movable folds, Wood can create functional devices such as small flying robots, surgical instruments, or environmental sensors.
Yes, it does floats too. These origami sailboat candle not only have the look of the boat but also could actually float, good for your swimming pool lighting on special occasion. Made by Candle Design studio from slovakia.
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| October 7, 2005 |
This stunning kusudama is called bubbledrop. Desigmed by Miyuki Kawamura.
I've used 15x15 cm. and 6x6cm. sized paper. I used origami paper, but that is a bit to thin, because the ball will flatten a bit when you put it down. So use sturdy enough paper, or smaller paper. This ball measures about 28 cm cross section!!!
