Sunday Funies

Source & Commentary

Yami Passed Away Christmas Evening

July 29, 1936- December 25, 2017

3-27-2013

Descanso Garden

Original photo taken by Yami's friend Kazuyoshi ITO

April 6, 2008
Cherry Blossom Festival, Little Tokyo 

From Chikako:

Dear Yami's friends,

This is Yami's daughter Chikako writing from Yami's account.

Yoichi "Yami" Yamauchi passed away yesterday. His health had been declining for some time. His body expired and he passed away peacefully yesterday evening. Per Yami's wishes, his body is being cremated and his ashes will be scattered at some point in the future. There will not be a public funeral or service. Condolences can be posted on Facebook. Even though Yami was a public figure, please respect his family's privacy.

Kind regards,
Chikako Yamauchi

may 26, 2007 
Natural History Museum, Los Angeles, CA

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Francesco Guarnieri's Pine Tree

Sharing diagrams of his beautiful tree.

Hat tip:  Morigami

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Hat tip:  Mark Saliers via Origami Email List

Ranger Roll!

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NOA #508

Artificial Muscle

LATimes

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University have developed a variety of origami-inspired artificial muscles that can lift up to a thousand times their own weight — and yet be dexterous enough to grip and raise a delicate flower. 

The devices, described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offer a new way to give soft robots super-strength, which could be used everywhere from inside our bodies to outer space.

Hat tip:  Joseph Wu Inc.

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Gatchaman

Gatchaman 
Designed by 芦村俊一 Shunichi ASHIMURA
Folded by Michael Sanders 
6.9" x 6.9" Japanese kami

It's popular to bag on BotP as an inferior product to the original Gatch, but...Been browsing through episodes last night and today on YouTube and I must say, even the watered-down, sanitized version is a superior product to so much of what we were used to seeing in the States, as a kid back in the 70s and 80s.

I grew up on mostly BotP; but my mom being Japanese and us spending summer vacations in Japan throughout the 70s and 80s, I was also familiar with the original version of Gatchaman and Fighter. BotP still captured quite a bit of the flavor and has its own charm. (I abhor the other English translation/incarnations of the original- makes me shudder). I love the voice actors. Jason remains my favorite, as I had a bit of the sulking loner in me, if not the hotheadedness of Jason; feeling a bit like the number two man, growing up. I loved his whole look and personality and the storylines that focused on him. Since I wasn't fully fluent in Japanese, and only saw just a handful of episodes during my summer months in Japan, BotP filtered the stories and characters to me much more than Gatchaman did. I definitely knew even as a kid that the version I was watching back in the States was Americanized with animation that was totally different, as well as character additions (7-Zark-7); that the Japanese original was more violent.

I love the original music; but I think the BotP music by Hoyt Curtin is also very good.

When I was in Japan one summer, I wanted the soundtrack really badly and had my mom help me shop for the LP. What we brought home disappointed me at the time because it sounded nothing like what I was expecting; but over time, I really loved it (this was the Symphonic Suite).

I love both Gatchman and BotP. Total childhood nostalgia for me. My friends were always a bit jealous of me because I would come back from Japan with all sorts of cool toys and products while all we could get here were Shogun Warriors, micronauts, BotP lunch pails, BotP boardgame, and not much else.

Condor Joe is my favorite (Jason).  I like Mark.  But it's Joe/Jason, the number two guy, who resonated with me.  

Feathered Tsuru (Riccardo Foschi)

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Mihara Family Butterfly

Mary Anne's Butterfly

Folded from 6" duo-colored kami

My favorite quick fold, at the moment.  Lang's solution for getting the antennae and still not be an overly complex model is genius.   Dr. Lang said that he likes the model well enough that it will probably see diagrams made and published, sometime, somewhere.

I only took two classes at PCOC:  Robert Lang's Mary Anne's Butterfly and Beth Johnson's cardinal.

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Origami Day

NOA #307

Folded at last month's Origami for Fun meet up:

Saturday Night Banquet

Inspired by local creator Jared Needle's appearance on Superhuman, origami game night at Saturday's banquet consisted of each table participating in a crease pattern challenge. 




Examples of some of the models:

Visiting Yami During PCOC

I know a number of people would have liked to have visited Yami; but schedules were so tight as to make it difficult to coordinate beyond a small group. 

A handful of us were piled into the mikemobile V to be ferried to Torrance for an unexpected visit.  Since Yami seldom ever answers his phone, warning him ahead of time is nigh impossible. 

We made a short trip at noon, wading street traffic to be back at Convention in Redondo Beach by 2pm. 

Return of Leaping Willy

A few PCOC Exhibits

All the exhibits at PCOC were impressive!  I posted photos on the Westcoast Origami Guild Facebook page.  I just don't have the energy to upload on Snapfish (have to figure out the password, now) where I've been hosting photos for the past few years over Flickr.

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Demonstrating and Teaching Yesterday

I've been coming to the Van Nuys Garden for well over a decade, first hired by Michael Fritzen, I believe.  at some point, Sylvia Wong took over the reigns and brought aboard more regular teachers at the annual Origami Day festival.  This year, Carla Shaw has taken the helm. 

Instead of just entertaining visitors, this year I had the freedom to also teach; and I got to be in the Tea House, which I ended up liking better.

I entrusted filming to one of the volunteers; but something happened and she missed recording some really good moments.  Oh, well.

It was a fun 5 hours of origami (not counting the 2.5 hours before and hour after). 

Georgette setting up her display models

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Origami Day at Van Nuys Japanese Garden

Hisako Tanji, Georgette Jenkins, Pam Miike, and myself:

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It's an annual thing.  Under new leadership, though. 

Nguyễn Hùng Cường's Buddha

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At first I thought I was looking at a radical interpretation of Takashi HOJYO's classic Buddha. Nguyễn Hùng Cường's version is divine.  (3 pieces; but 3 pieces that works really well).

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Fly High, Dreamers!

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Wonderful artistic expression by Nguyễn Hùng Cường:

Material: one uncut square paperCurrently displayed in "Paper Heroes" exhibition, Jaffa Museum, Tel aviv, Israel; curated by Ilan Garibi
I created this work to show my deep gratitude to origami community. The boy is myself, and the hand represents all origami creators who inspired me, making my dream come true. In the future I hope myself will also be an inspiration for the next generations of origami. 

Honoring Eric Joisel

3D "Out of Geometry"

Hat tip:  Dr. Robert Lang

Model Menu sneak peak: $ Flower-in-a-Pot

I'm signed up to PCOC so far to teach at least 2 models.  This is one of them. 

I think I taught this at my first OUSA Convention around 2002.  Herman Lau went out of his way to make sure I taught it according to his specifications as, at the time, he said people were getting the proportions of the pot wrong.

The class will also be remotely broadcast.  So for those of you who are unable to attend, please consider tuning in from the comforts of your home.

I'm hoping Herman Lau himself can still attend (he's located up in Sacramento). 

Origami City

Carol Stevens was kind enough to unbox Joel Stern's Origami City kit for me:

Do androids dream of origami sheep?

Sheep
Created by Jun MAEKAWA
Folded by Michael Sanders 
10” x 10” commercial kami 
Diagram source: Genuine Origami, Tanteidan Convention Book #8

Alexander Lam talked me into folding this model yesterday, just as I was ready to leave the meeting at Marti's.  I hid the horns so as to bear resemblance to the one in the movie. 

I'm still curious to know if the production sought and received permission from Maekawa.  Perhaps it's in the closing credits?

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Do you ever dream of origami sheep?

The new Blade Runner 2049 movie is very well done.  Worth seeing for anyone who enjoyed the first movie.

Oh, and like origami?

Spoiler alert:

Origami Sighting at Hello Kitty Store

9-6-2017

This is in a mall store in Woodland Hills, CA.

Harp Seal Pup by Quentin Trollip

NOA #506

NOA issue #505 (September)

Sorry.  I'm falling behind:

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Pasadena Origami Festival at Storrier Stearns Japanese Gardens

Meher McArthur:

Looking for something fun to do with the family this Sunday? Come to the Pasadena Origami Festival at the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, from 10am to 4pm. Come and learn how to fold flowers, animals and modular forms with expert folders like Joel Stern and Jared Needle of the Pacific Ocean Paperfolders (POP) in the gorgeous setting of our Japanese Garden. I will be giving a talk about contemporary origami art and signing copies of my new book New Expressions in Origami Art and my earlier book Folding Paper. 

So today I spent time at the Gardens teaching the Thai Tulip:




In between teaching, I managed to film Joel Stern telling teaching tales:

This one is a Storigami by Christine Petrell Kallevig:

Photos here.

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Hat tip:  Jo Nakashima

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Shafer $ Convertible

Recycling flyers

What do you do when you have a stack of leftover flyer cards that are expired?

Recycle the origamist way:

Origami Workshop at Mitsuwa in Los Angeles

Mitsuwa off Venice Blvd and La Cienega/Bundy in Los Angeles has a small Kinokuniya bookstore.  It seems that every 4th Saturday, they have an origami workshop offered, free to their patrons.

8-5-2017

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Teaching at Descanso Gardens for Family Night

Family night at Descanso Gardens yesterday involved a showing of "Kubo and the Two Strings".   I provided the origami entertainment prior to the movie playing out on an outdoor big screen.

NOA Review #504

What is it, Jared?

Yami turns 81

Yesterday, we celebrated Yami's 81st birthday party: