Origami For Kids

It’s not just in the weird paperfolding that I do, but also in the most conventional sort of technical origami, that a principle of “non-interference” applies. After all, those individual toenails or flight feathers one is showing off can't be allowed to cause trouble for the rest of the bird, can they? I am something of an extremist with this principle, and often try obstinately to squeeze out as many features as possible in the middle of the sheet while leaving the edges entirely unblemished . Cheers! Confuse-ye-us

Down pending revisions (may be a while). For now, enjoy this oldie

If the Internet hasn't completely frazzled your brain and fragmented your attention-span, there’s a 100-page book, written about 100 years ago, that I’d like you to read. It is Emanuel Loewy’s “The Rendering of Nature in Early Greek Art”. You can find it here . It gives a lot to think about; some of which strangely enough bears also on origami. Go ahead and read it and I’ll get back to you in a few weeks. S.

In honor of his new book . ------------------------------- Another version. [Added December 15:] And---here's a set of images that no origami designer can fail to be inspired and humbled by: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/12/15/science/20091215-birds-audioss/index.html

This is mainly a ‘natural history’ posting, not an origami posting, but you origami people should all read it all the same. First off, have a look at Olivia Judson’s fine article in last week’s New York Times science section. It is about how animals have different calls to warn their group-mates about the approach of different kinds of predators. * * * Neat, no? I touched on this subject once before back when starting out on this Blog. This was when drawing attention to just how weird the Owls look, among all the avian species; in particular noticing that (a) all owls have haunting, rather 'unbirdlike' faces, (b) many owls have specifically mammalian-looking faces, and (c) some owls have even more specifically a face that looks like a cat's (facial feathers that resemble fur, pseudo-ears that resemble cat ears, a hook nose flattened against a flat triangular face, yellow eyes, etc.). By “cat” I mean of course not just the ferocious predator known as the domes...

Last night I went to the opening of a small exhibit by Ilan Garibi and Herman Mariano, at the Henkin gallery in Holon, Israel. Garibi: strong folds, clean, tasteful color choices and combinations, voracious explorations of his new love, tessellations, some of which are more muscular than a lot of the delicate-and-fussy things I’ve seen in this line before. Good to recognize a new force on the scene here in Israel (even if I’ve been slow to do so, hiding out as I have in the desert.) Pleased to meet the person too, for further qualities of character not immediately evident in the folds. I will let these images speak for themselves; but see also here . Good also to see the tradition of origami-themed shows being upheld in this space: the last one here at the Henkin was mine (five years ago---way too long for this space), and before me came Tomoko Fuse, and before her Paul Jackson. There are some real origami powers in this country, but they are scattered. The group Ilan belongs to has a...