Origami

[isp-yarbrough]

Solar Power, Origami-Style

Origami has been a hot topic in technology recently. Brian Trease at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been thinking about how it could be used in spacecraft.

Here is a link on solar arrays being made from origami-like folding! NASA is using a Japanese form of folding called a Miura fold, which was invented in 1995. This fold allows for a very big, bulky solar array to be compressed into less than half its size and it can only be opened and closed one way. The way that these are folded makes it easy to launch these arrays into space, which could lead to energy efficient ways of using technology on earth. These arrays could power microwaves, washing machines, traffic lights, and many other day to day appliances on earth.

[isp-yarbrough]

Captions from top to bottom:

This is Wisconsin's biggest paper crane, created by 4 fourth graders! This record was set in Nekoosa, Wisconosin on November 8th, 2011. The crane measures 25'x25'! This giant paper butterfly was created in West Hartford, Connecticut on March 11th, 2015. This butterfly measures 4.36m x 3.29m and was also created in an elementary school!

It’s very popular around the world to create giant origami pieces of artwork. There are over 30 world records set for giant paper creations. These are just a couple of documented US records that have been recently set. Elementary schools use team origami folding as a form of bonding, teamwork, and fun. 

[isp-yarbrough]

Peace, Love, Folds

Origami has been an inspiration to the lives of many through its hundreds of years in existence. It’s known to heal mental and physical illness, even. Therapists say that it greatly increases the level of self esteem, and relaxes patients with anxiety disorder. Origami is also used to treat many other types of medical and psychiatric patients, such as children with ADHD to help them relax and focus, or patients who have had surgery concerning damaged nerves or the hands. Even addicts in rehabilitation centers use the hobby of origami as a focal point to keep them from craving their addiction. Origami was made for peace and tranquility, and even hundreds of years later it affects the lives of people having trouble, whether it be physical or mental.

[isp-yarbrough]

While looking for the most intricate origami I could find, I stumbled upon this ADORABLE little prawn origami piece. There was a step by step guide following it that actually made it look pretty simple. I’d like to create something as intricate and beautiful as this and it’s incredible just how easily anyone can pick up this hobby. This photo just reminds me of the amazement behind the ancient art of origami. It doesn’t take the sleight of hand, it doesn’t take brains or brawn, it takes just creasing, focus and strategy! Origami is the sport for everyone; even I can be an artist!

[isp-yarbrough]

Here are just a few classic origami creations! It’s truly so beautiful and creative the way everything in an origami piece is perfectly creased and folded in such a way that it takes the shape of something. Your mind can sometimes forget that these cute little statues are just square pieces of paper! From top to bottom there’s a duck, ninja star, boat, crane, and a box. These are simply the most popular and probably the simplest of these complicated and astounding pieces of art, which wonderfully reflects just how easy it can be to be an artist- just add creases!

[isp-yarbrough]

What is Origami though?

The root of the word origami is “ori” which means “to fold”, and “kami” which means “paper”. The rules, dating back to ancient Japan, are:

1. no cutting the paper 2. no marking the paper 3. no gluing/taping/pasting the paper

These rules are pretty difficult when you want to create beautiful and intricate creations, however beautiful Japanese art has been created through this technique for many many years. Origami wasn’t necessarily the first paper art, but it was the first in Japan! Paper folding arts vary from country to country, such as in China, where the art of paper folding is called “zhezhi”.

[isp-yarbrough]

Hitchhiker's Guide to Paper Cranes A brief novella by Alyssa Yarbrough

Since I’ve got you all excited, you’re probably really ready to make a paper crane! Our first origami creation together, how exciting!! Paper cranes are fun, and not too hard but also appropriately challenging! Watch this slideshow I made with 20 steps on how to make an origami crane.

[isp-yarbrough]

Lucky Stars

Many traditional origami patterns have a story to go along with them, and lucky stars are no exception. Legend has it that a little girl named Hoshi loved the stars in the night sky with all her heart and went out every night to gaze at them. One night, the stars began to fall from the sky, so she rushed home and began to fold small paper stars to replace the stars that had fallen. She folded the entire night, but come the next night there still were not enough stars to fill the sky. She gathered all the kids in her village and asked them to fold as well until they had enough stars to replace all the ones that fell. "Whenever a lucky star is made, a falling star is saved." There is also a supposed meaning behind the number of stars you give your significant other.

1 star: The only one

2 stars: Happy Couple

9 stars: Love for a long time

55 stars: Love you with no regrets

99 stars: May the friendship/love last forever

101 stars: You are the one

365/36 stars: Whole year of blessings

520 stars: I love you

548 stars: Can't stop loving you

999 stars: Endless love

1314 stars: Eternity of love

And a full jar of stars brings lots of good luck to the recipient

[isp-yarbrough]

Cranes!

When you think of origami, chances are the first thing you’ll think of is the paper crane. I remember when I first got into origami I heard a really vague story about 1,000 paper cranes and curing cancer, so I started folding and folding until I had an entire toy chest full of little paper cranes. In Japan, the legend has it that folding 1,000 cranes will bring you what your heart desires most, and is also a symbol of peace and harmony. This legend is supported by the story of a young girl named Sadako Sasaki. She was exposed to the radiation caused by the bomb at Hiroshima, and as a result contracted leukemia by the time she was 12. Hearing the legend, she decided to fold 1,000 cranes in hopes of being cured, but quickly realized she was not getting better and instead wished for world peace and an end to suffering. She folded 644 cranes before she died, and her classmates folded the remaining 356 and donated a granite statue of Sadako in Hiroshima Peace Park. Every year, wreaths of 1,000 paper cranes are hung around the statue to symbolize peace and hope.

[isp-yarbrough]

History of Origami

The exact origins of origami are pretty unclear because paper breaks down very quickly and is therefore not able to be preserved as an artifact. Some argue that when paper was invented in China (105 A.D.), paper folding must have shortly followed; there are, however, no written records of this occurring. The first evidence of origami appeared in 6th century Japan after Buddhist monks brought the art of paper making from China. Paper was pretty expensive, so the origami was a special symbol reserved for Shinto religious rituals or wedding ceremonies. Butterflies were folded (mecho for the bride and ocho for the groom) for good luck and samurai gave each other cards with folded ornaments (noshi) on them for similar reasons. Origami became increasingly popular among women at home as the price of paper went down, and patterns were passed down orally from mother to daughter. By the 15th century, origami had spread into Europe and appeared in Latin literature. The modern version of the art form was popularized after the publication of a book by Akira Yoshizawa in 1954 that detailed instructions on new, innovative designs and gave rise to organizations such as the British Origami Society and OrigamiUSA.

[isp-yarbrough]

Why origami?

Before I really start going on the origami train, I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about why I chose origami as my ISP topic. I’ve always been a fan of little, miniature and primarily adorable things which origami offers quite readily, but it also offers a kind of peace and focus and clarity of mind like I’ve never really found with any other hobby. You know when people tell you about how fishing allows them to think clearly and find peace and you kind of smile weakly and tell them how nice that is? Origami is my fishing. Also I think it will make for a really interactive and adorable in class presentation and I’ll no doubt pick up a few new tricks because at the current moment my arsenal of origami includes paper cranes and little tiny stars. Get ready to be amazed!