Thank you Lorenzo for answering my questions, and Hans for sharing more insights.
I want to add that there’s a tendency to value art as 'something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings' more highly than art as 'an activity that requires special knowledge or skill' (both definitions are from The Britannica Dictionary). Eric Kenneway in *Complete Origami* distinguishes between these meanings by using a capital 'A' for the former and a lowercase 'a' for the latter, reflecting this hierarchy. However, this valuation is not a universal truth. In this regard, I recommend the book *The Craftsman* by Richard Sennett, which highlights the unrecognized importance and beauty of the abilities or skills 'involved in doing or making something' (Longman Dictionary). Not so long ago, I started to sense something that I think has been obvious to many other paper folders: origami yields a performative force. Through its selfless sharing, it tries to question capitalism—a la Michele de Certeau in *The Practice of Everyday Life*—and the canons of Art; this book explores how ordinary practices like origami challenge dominant cultural narratives in subtle ways. Origami also seems to have a performative character in the step-sequences that are shared with others and the effect they generate in those who follow through. The following online description of a fellow origamist expresses these ideas well: 'While admiring colleagues' aspirations to fine art, he believes origami is a people's art and finds more beauty in the casual sharing of models than in a gallery. Now, I am more interested in a point you made in your original email, Lorenzo: 'I consider it extremely important for an aspect that I believe to be pivotal in the evolution of origami, which is the deep respect we must have for ourselves and for origami itself, and to avoid praising origami by attributing a value of "art."' I would love to hear more about the concept of origami as a non-artistic practice and its evolution. Your ideas are enticing, and I would greatly appreciate it if you could elaborate on this aspect. Thanks in advance. -- *Gerardo G.* gerardo(a)neorigami.com <http://www.neorigami.com> [image: Image] instagram.com/NeorigamiCom *Knowledge and Curiosity in Origami:* *six private** classe**s online* <https://www.neorigami.com/classes> "(...) It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it takes your breath away and fills you with the true joy of *origami*. I experienced this in my lessons with Gerardo G. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Gerardo is (...)" *C. R.* *Read the full review* <https://www.neorigami.com/classes#h.q2mt4npahmc2>
