Art Pieces with Creases: HowTuesday July 28 2015

Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami explores different typed of paper folding with 9 different artists. Origami is an art form for everyone to enjoy. It can be as simple as a couple folds in a square piece of paper to form a penguin or a massive amounts of folds to make something as large as the origami art below. Can you believe it's paper?

This is Paper!

Erik Demaine AND Martin Demaine   Part of “Earthtone Series,” 2012

 

This is paper!

Vincent Floderer   Boom!, 2000

 

This is paper!

Miri Golan   Two Books, 2010

 

Paul Jackson Organic Abstract, 2011 (It looks like a spiky watermelon, but it's paper)

 

Robert J. Lang   Pentasia, 2011

 

Jianmei Wu   Ruga Swan, 2014

 

Yuko Nishimura   Sparkle, 2004

 

Richard Sweeney   Beta II, 2010

 

Its not hard to do. The origami art above by Richard Sweeney could be a giant coffee filter.

 

SO LET'S TRY MAKING IT!!!

Origami Coffee Filter Mobile Inspired by Richard Sweeney

SUPPLIES:

1. Scissors

2. Coffee Filters

3. Cardboard

4. White Paint

5. Needle and Thread 

6. Glue

Only use the needle and thread if you are comfortable with sewing, and with a parent's permission. Glue works just fine if you don't have needle and thread.

STEPS:

1. Cut out a square of cardboard that is 5 by 5 inches. Paint it white (or any other color) and set it aside to dry.

2. Use your scissors to cut out the middle circle of the coffee filters. You can use as many coffee filters as you need. I cut out 6 or 7 and that ended up being fine.

They look like this when you cut them out.

 

3. Start folding the coffee filters on the ridges. Coffee filters are already creased. Folding the creases help the folds stay together longer.

Look at those Accordion folds! 

4. Go ahead and string your thread. Cut a long piece of thread. Maybe even 5 feet long. Fold the thread in half and pull the needle through the thread. Tie the thread at the end with the other end. Make sure you ask a parent for help! 

5. Get the cardboard that you painted and decide where you would like your first coffee filter to be, and sew it to the cardboard. Start the needle from the back of the cardboard to the front white side, and bring in through to the back again. Once you finish this step, the front should look like this. Once again, glue works fine, so just glue the filter to the cardboard on the white side.

6. Twist the coffee filter in an interesting shape and attach the end to the white part of the cardboard. Keep doing this with the other coffee filters in other places, and in different ways.

If you want a longer section of coffee filter then glue two coffee filters together. This will make it hang lower which will make you mobile seem longer. 

7. This is what the project looked like when I was done attaching the filters. Tie the thread off on the other side of the cardboard, so your work stays in place.

8. Display your masterpiece anywhere! You can add a string on each corner, and tie those strings together to hang on a hook, or tape it to the top of your locker. Even shine a light through the coffee filters, and make cool shadows.

Please share your own Origami Mobile with @outsidevoice !  

For more information about the exhibit, origami glossary, and a few simple origami tutorials: Click here!