How to: Abstract Origami

Creating abstract origami sculptures can be an educational activity to share with children.

Origami is the ancient art of paper folding. Abstract origami refers to those pieces of origami based on geometric and decorative folding techniques. Abstract origami is one of the more complex forms of origami. Abstract origami pieces can be made from a single piece of paper or multiple pieces of paper, depending on the type of origami and the complexity of the design. There are different subsets of abstract origami, including modular origami, tessellar origami and mathematical and computational origami.

Things You'll Need

• Origami paper

Instructions

Geometrical Construction

1. Find the fold lines. Abstract origami shapes are constructed using a combination of folds in the paper that result in the final artwork. The first step is to find the fold lines that are required to create the desired result. Since this is abstract art, the fold lines can be made at any place in the paper which will produce your desired sculpture.

2. Divide the origami faces. An abstract origami artwork consists of a set of faces. Each face is a geometric shape with two sides. You overlap these faces to create the final three-dimensional abstract origami artwork. In dividing the faces, you will determine the geometric shapes which will comprise your final piece.

3. Reflect the origami faces. This will create a symmetrical, ordered piece of origami art that takes on the desired shape. This also produces the clean, ordered lines typical of origami sculptures. A reflection means that each face has a matching face on the other side of the artwork.

Origami Tessallations

1. Draw the fold lines and crease patterns on a piece of origami paper according to your chosen abstract pattern. You may use any writing implement of your choice. Origami tessallations are normally made of raised and lowered creases and folds in an otherwise flat sheet of paper.

2. Crease the fold lines into the paper.

3. Fold the paper along the creased fold lines to create your final shape.

Modular Origami

1. Create each unit of the module by following the instructions in the section on geometrical construction of origami and folding each origami piece according to your abstract pattern. The final unit will be created by combining multiple individual modular pieces of origami into one final piece of artwork.

2. Fold two of the modular units of origami together to create a larger unit according to your own abstract design.

3. Fold additional units into the modular unit according to your own abstract design to create the final unit. Keep folding units until you achieve your desired shape.

Tips & Warnings

• Mathematical and computational origami use models and mathematical representations of the geometric construction of origami to create abstract origami works.

References

• University of Tsukuba:" Symbolic and Algebraic Methods in Computational Origami"; Tetsuo Ida
• David Mitchell's Origami Heaven:"Origami Unfolded";David Mitchell
• Origami Resource Center:" Origami Tessellations";2011

Resources

• Origami Instructions: "Modular Origami Instructions";2005-2011