Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami
"Based on a traveling art exhibition that opened in 2012 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, this slim volume lives up to its subtitle:readers will indeed find nearly infinite possibilities in folded paper.More than 40 of the world's leading origami artists are represented, with full-color photographs of works leaping off the page. Early on, Paulo Mulatinho's Planta, an abstract riff on the familiar paper crane, faces off with Hieu Tran Trung's Velociraptor Skeleton, a dinosaur skeleton shown on the recto page and made from over 70 sheets of uncut paper. The variety and breadth of the medium are amazingly clear. Animals (including a stunning ball variation on paper cranes), abstract forms, even a house, all dazzle and will inspire artists. The text of the book is mostly academic, but Lang's essay on the math and physics of origami may intrigue some readers, especially when they are left gaping by the overwhelmingly complex, computer-generated "circle packing" he employs to create a grid for folding on paper. Readers are mostly here for the photos, and they are well worth the very reasonable price."—Publishers Weekly"Origami isn't just child's play. It is a respected contemporary art form and an inspiration to scientists and engineers. Heck, the principles of origami were applied in the development of airbags for cars. "Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami" (Tuttle) by Meher McArthur, a curator of Asian art, and Robert J. Lang, a physicist turned origami artist, presents dozens of photographs of dazzling creations. The artworks run the gamut from representational (a dinosaur) to geometric (a spiked rhombic) and abstract. "Folding Paper" is a primer on the premier artists and the influence of this very old art form in modern research and design labs."—The Boston Globe"Have you ever wondered how extreme origami can be? These examples from the bookFolding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origamiwill blow your mind with their intricacy and technique."—CraftFoxes