Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding which is often strongly associated with Japanese Culture. The idea of origami is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a sculpture using different folding techniques. Cutting, gluing or marking the paper is discouraged in modern origami, ideally the sculpture should be produced using folding techniques alone. However, there are different types and styles of origami such as action origami, modular origami, wet folding, pureland origami, origami tessellations and kirigami that involves cutting. Although mainly associated with Japan, there is historical evidence of paper folding in other cultures in Europe and China.
Traditional Origami
These are some examples of origami that may be classed as the traditional Japanese style of origami such as the crane and flowers.
Structural Origami
These are various examples of structural origami which could relate to architectural shapes which I am interested in for the purposes of my final major project both for use in the architecture and in the interior design.
Why have I chosen Origami as a Precedent for my FMP?
I have chosen origami as a precedent for my FMP for a few reasons. The main focus for these choices are based on the structural type of origami that could potentially be represented through architecture and interior design
Texture – Origami folds in the paper create both an appearance of texture and actual texture. I like the idea of having elements with texture in some of the architecture and interior design of my chosen building. Obviously I cannot use paper, so an alternative method will have to be found, such as the pleated cladding technique used on the exterior of Hongkou Soho by Kengo Kuma. I will explore potential alternatives in future blog posts.
Complexity – Origami has the appearance of complexity, sometimes appearing a lot more complicated than it actually is. I would like elements within my design to look more detailed and possible appear more complicated than they actually are by considering the idea of texture explored above and in future posts.
