Origami - Paper Craft

- Dr. Abhijit Das

Origami is a Japanese word which means paper folding. The Japanese do not consider it to be an art form, but look on it rather as something which is an integral part of their culture. Origami stands poised between art and game. It is an art bound by strict rules like those of a game; or it is a game that can produce a work of art. In origami we do not cut a piece of paper. It is ONLY folded – no scissors, gummed tape or paste. Most models require one piece of paper but ‘compound origami’ require two. The initial paper is usually a square but it could be of any geometric shape. The creation of a successful origami figure requires an extraordinary ingenuity; any good model is a marvel of engineering, a triumph of imagination over limitation. In the words of George Rhodes, “the beauty of Origami is the beauty of economy. Everything is put to good use – no idle points are hidden away; there is no clumsy thickness, no complex device that could be simplified.” This ingenuity of origami appeals universally.

Some believe that origami originated in the Heien Period in Japan (782 – 1185 AD). If this can be proved then origami is nearly 1000 years old.

In Japan two great names dominate the origami scene – Akira Yoshizawa and Okimasa Uchiyama. Yoshizawa has influenced most Japanese and Western folders. Other than Japan, the Spanish and the Americans have emerged as the best folders from the West. At present the most exciting results are coming from the USA and Fred Rohm, Robert Neale, Neil Elias, George Rhodes and Robert Lang are some of their most brilliant folders.

Unfortunately in India, origami at that level is non existent. Most of the work that is done is from Kolkata. Sailen Mukherjee from Kolkata is the best folder in India by far. Origami Study Circle in Kolkata established by Sailen Mukherjee, Subash Karmakar, Samiran Acharya and Abhijit Das in the 80s is one the very few organisations to spread origami in India.

The popularity of origami is the west can be understood by the fact that origami programmes appear regularly on television. The British Origami Society maintains an origami library and publishes a journal. In America there are two periodicals devoted to origami – ‘the Origamian’ and the ‘Flapping bird’.