Event 1: The Origami Revolution

For my first event, I attended the watch party for the documentary titled “The Origami Revolution”. The documentary was extremely insightful as it took an activity that is commonly associated with leisure, hobbies and art, and explored how it involved mathematical concepts, and aided in the advancement of science. I highly recommend anyone interested in the intersections of math, science and art to watch the documentary as they will see how origami brings these fields together and its mechanics can be applied in real life. 

Wanting to see for myself how geometric shapes and patterns can be created by precise lines and folds, I decided to challenge myself to creating a modular origami star. Below are pictures of the process and a video of the final product. It is indeed a fascinating experience to see complex shapes come to life from two-dimensional paper. 

Trying my hand at folding geometric shapes. 

(Photos and video belong to me)

I have two main takeaways from the event. Firstly, the documentary points out that origami, like many forms of art, encompasses mathematical concepts that one might not be aware of until closely examined. It is math that allows the art to be perfected. In the documentary, Robert Lang, who is a world-renowned origami artist, uses computer software to create the cease patterns for complex origami animals that he folds. This is done after he draws and calculates the dimensions needed for the cease patterns to create the animal. The invention of the Origamizer software allows us to fold virtually any 3D object as the software uses abstract geometry to create the necessary cease patterns, which can then be printed and folded. 

My second takeaway is that math and art is always in conversation with nature and our environment. Origami patterns can be seen everywhere in nature – from the surface of the human brain, to the folding patterns of proteins and even the way flowers bloom. By observing such events in nature, scientists and artists are further inspired.

Origami patterns seen in nature.

This inspiration then leads to original forms of art, and advancement in the sciences. Origami artists were able to create new and more complex artworks after observing nature’s folding patterns. With the application of origami, various fields such as medical research and space exploration also saw advancements. Protein origami is the future of drug development, while the folding pattern seen in the video below allowed NASA to create a solar array within their constraints.

Origami-inspired space solar array.

References 

“The Origami Revolution Documentary.” Vimeo, uploaded by Julia Varne, vimeo.com/250448152. Accessed 6 April 2021. 

“How to make a Modular Origami Star – Origami Step by Step (Easy).” YouTube, uploaded by Origami Tutorials – Tatiana Frovola, 9 Jan. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqkaQPslMXE. 

“Freaky Flowers: Echinopsis Cacti in Bloom.” YouTube, uploaded by EchinopsisFreak, 29 Mar. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hwDdE0Gu4E. 

“Origami in Space: BYU-designed solar arrays inspired by origami.” YouTube, uploaded by Brigham Young University, 27 Nov. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E12uju1vgQ#t=186.

Lang, Robert. “Computational Origami.” Robert J. Lang Origami, 18 Sep. 2018, langorigami.com/article/computational-origami/. 

Saydak, Peter. “The Mathematics, Laws and Theory Behind Crease Patterns.” Origami.me, 10 Mar. 2017, origami.me/crease-pattern-theory/. 

Monk, Meg. “BYU engineers use origami to make more space in space.” The Daily Universe, 12 Dec. 2013, universe.byu.edu/2013/12/12/byu-engineers-use-origami-to-make-more-space-in-space/.