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The invention of the art of making paper is a landmark event in the history of mankind. Although paper used for writing became wide spread by 3rd century AD, it was only during Tang Dynasty that paper craft evolved. Folding of paper in to square bags to preserve flavour of tea leaves and serving tea in multi coloured paper cups became popular. Gradually, different types of paper craft started evolving in various parts of the world. One of the most famous stream of paper craft is Origami- an art form developed in ancient Japan. Now, beyond being an art, it is a medium of social, cultural and educational benefits. In this write up we shall cover the history of origami, types of origami, benefits, sculptures of origami.

What is Origami?

In this paper folding art, 3 dimensional paper figures are created using geometric folds and crease patterns. Derived from the Japanese words ‘ori ’ meaning to fold and ‘kami ’ meaning paper, origami today refers to all types of paper folding, even those of non- Japanese origin.

Though origami originated in Japan, it however started when Buddhist monks carried paper from China to Japan during 6^th century. The first origami is dated from this period and was used for religious purposes only due to high price of paper. Samurai warriors exchanged gifts with ‘ noshi ’ made of folded strips of paper. This shows that origami had become a significant part of Japanese society.

However, it was only by 1797 that the first origami book was published in Japan. Evidence of paper folding Europe was found in 15^th century. The growth of renewed interest in origami can be traced to Akira Yoshi Zawa the grandmaster of origami.

Types of Origami

Origami has expanded and evolved beyond the initial days of making birds and boats. A quick survey shows that there are around 80 different forms of origami starting from classical, neo-classical, modern and hypermodern. From a style perspective, following are some major variants:

Action origami – These are unique in the sense that they can move. The most obvious action models are airplanes. Action origami models have been with us for 400 years.

Modular origami – Is also known as unit origami and requires two or more pieces of paper. Each paper is folded into a specific unit or model. Many units are assembled together to form the final model.

Wet folding – It is a relatively new way of folding paper. It was developed by grandmaster, Akira Yoshi Zawa. It involves moistening the paper before folding. The model has a softer look with gentle curving lines. Note that in wet folding the paper is moist, not dripping wet.

Pure land origami – In late 1970, John Smith developed this concept. This style has the added restriction that only mountain and valley folds are allowed.

Kirigami – The major difference between kirigami and traditional origami is that in the former you can fold and cut. In USA the term kirigami was coined by Florence Temko. In Japanese, kiru means to “cut” and gami means “paper”. So kirigami is to cut paper. The most common example of kirigami is making paper snowflakes.

Benefits of Origami

Origami has been associated with education for a long time. In Japan, children learn it at their mother’s knees. In the west, children are learning it at school. Research has shown that origami is a valuable addition to the curriculum for developing vital skills

· Behavioural skills

· Cooperative learning

· Mathematical prowess

· Cognitive development

· Multicultural awareness

· Community building

In addition, origami can be used for therapeutic purposes. It not only promotes a feeling of achievement and well-being for the differently abled but also be used as a bridging therapy to infuse positive social interactions.

Socially origami expands the child’s view of the world. For example, distinguished origami artists Paul Jackson, Miri Goulan and Abber Mughri bring together Israeli and Palestinians children together in the ‘Folding together workshop’.

Famous origami sculptures

The largest origami crane had a wing span of 268 feet and was created at Hiroshima Shudo University. However, the record for the largest origami butterfly is held by students of Webster Hill School, who folded a butterfly out of a paper measuring 4.36mX3.9m.

Another example of a famous origami was a train of 1550 wagons, 254 meters long and was made at the National Railway Museum in York in 2003.

In contrast, an example of the smallest origami crane was made out of 1mmX1mm square paper.

In all these, we should not forget the 1000 origami cranes help together by strings. An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a 1000 origami cranes will be granted a wish by the Gods.

Latest developments related to Origami

Today’s technique of Additive Manufacturing is inspired by the small pieces like in origami. The process begins with analysis of a digital model to determine geometrics which can be fabricated using layer-based and origami based approaches. The thin shell model is unfolded into a 2D sheet and once the fabrication and folding is complete we can come with prototypes. This development in manufacturing where hollow objects can be made easily can be attributed to the paper based modelling called origami.

Conclusion

In summary, origami is a traditional Japanese art of paper folding that has stayed over centuries and has evolved in many ways. There are different types of origami that people practice. It is also very beneficial for developing creativity in children. The fundamental 3D folding techniques is what has led to today’s additive or 3D manufacturing.