25: Origami

Don't bother me, don't talk to me, don't even look at me... or I'll fold you in half like a tiny little origami crane!

The first task I attempted was Origami. Origami was my girlfriend's idea, and a challenge that I thought would be quick and easy to kick things off. I found an A4 piece of paper, took out my laptop, typed in Origami crane into the YouTube and 8 minutes later my first mission was complete. Too easy!

Screw it, I thought. That's not a challenge! Let's do something more difficult.

In order to challenge myself I searched for Complex Origami on YouTube and found a 30-minute tutorial on how to make a Charizard (Pokémon character) out of paper. Jackpot! About 15 minutes into the video it became apparent that I was out of my depth. The folds and measurements extremely complex and upon re-reading the title I realised that this video was part 1 of 5! Back to square one...

I wanted to find a challenging yet doable Origami model to use as a measuring stick for accomplishing this task. Eventually I landed on this 30-minute tutorial for a Latios model. I spent hours, and I mean hours trying to do this. So much paper used and so much time spent. I tried at least 20 times and couldn't even make it past the 8-minute mark of the tutorial! It was tough, but I was determined to find a better way...

Eventually, I bought myself an Origami book from Riot Art. Smart move. I learnt about the history of Origami, about different techniques for making folds and some of the technical names for these folds. It was fascinating to learn that Origami is currently in its renaissance period. Despite the long and traditional heritage of Origami, it is only now that people are developing the art form. After WWII, Japanese students were encouraged to travel and build relationships with the global community. Despite speaking little English, Japanese students could communicate through Origami, by making paper models as gifts for host families. In Japan, Origami is about being precise. Top students in Japan create Origami models identical or near identical to the Sensei, and any form of creativity is discouraged. When the art form migrated into western society artists pushed the boundaries of what could be possible and thus the renaissance period began.

After constructing a number of simpler models from the Origami book, such as the Water Lilly, Crane and Fish, it was time to try Latios again. Take 21. I got past the 8 minute mark but the reverse sync fold at 13 minutes was still giving me grief. Back to basics. I practiced my folds, built intermediate models such as the Swan, Pig and Butterfly, and focused on precision rather than speed. Take 22. Past the 8 minute mark. Past the 13 minute mark. Past the 20 minute mark. Don't screw it up now. Just need to fold in the feet and... voila! My first task complete!