[Origami] Current holder of rights for Eric Joisel's work?

[Eric Gjerde via Origami]

Hello All,

Does anyone have information on who is currently holding the rights to Eric 
Joisel’s work? 

I’m looking to license photographic use of his famous Pangolin for a book 
project, and I’m at a bit of a loss as to who I should contact.

Many thanks for any tips or suggestions you have - I’ll take those offline. 

Cheers

Eric Gjerde

[Origami] Bauhaus paper engineering course

[Eric Gjerde]

Hello all,

I will be teaching a week-long paper art class this summer, digging into the 
Bauhaus preliminary course exercises from Josef Albers and moving on to modern 
paper engineering techniques. Taking place at a UNESCO world heritage site just 
outside of Berlin, the Bauhaus Denkmal Bundesschule Bernau, from July 23-28. 
More information posted to my website here: http://wp.me/pc1hp-3M4 


A week of crazy paper art fun in the Brandenburg forests with world-class 
architecture (that you get to stay in!) and evening beers and barbecue in the 
beer garden? Sounds like fun to me :)

Re: [Origami] Origami Sighting - Lexus Comercial

[Eric Gjerde]

I’m not sure who did the Lexus commercial, but I had some conversations with 
them last year about wanting origami for some sort of commercial, so I think 
this is what they eventually went with. I’m curious to know who did it. It was 
a fairly complex and unusual brief.

As those intrepid origamists here who do commercial work can attest, the needs 
of advertising does not have a lot of room for purist origamist tendencies :) I 
don’t know how you folks manage to do it!

cheers

Eric

Re: [Origami] Origami Digest, Vol 131, Issue 5

[Eric Gjerde]

> From: Matthew Gardiner <m...@airstrip.com.au <mailto:m...@airstrip.com.au>>
> Subject: Re: [Origami] Froebel - Seventh Gift - origami and ratios
> Date: March 4, 2017 at 9:48:27 PM CST
> To: The Origami Mailing List <origami@lists.digitalorigami.com 
> <mailto:origami@lists.digitalorigami.com>>
> 
> 
> On 4 Mar. 2017, at 1:11 am, Laura R <lauraroz...@gmail.com 
> <mailto:lauraroz...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>> 
>>> I came across something quite wonderful in my PhD research today.
>>> 
>>> I picked up a book on Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect with a 
>>> considerable global reputation, at the University library, therein I 
>>> discovered that he was inspired for a series of window-frame designs, and I 
>>> suspect for the use of proportion in his career, by the seventh gift of 
>>> Froebel as his insight into proportion.
>> 
>> You should get the book Inventing Kindergarten by Norman Brosterman. There 
>> is a whole chapter about the influence of kindergarten ideas (and behind 
>> that, Froebel’s) on Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as other modern artists. 
>> Quoting from its cover: “Using examples from the work of important artists 
>> who attended kindergarten —including Georges Braque, Piet Mondrian, Paul 
>> Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Le Corbusier, among others 
>> —he demonstrates that the design ideas of kindergarten prefigured modern 
>> conceptions for the aesthetic power of geometric abstraction.” Norman 
>> Brosterman’s amazing collection of Froebelian crafts was part of a MoMa 
>> exhibition, Century of the Child, in 2011: 
>> http://www.brosterman.com/kindergarten.shtml 
>> <http://www.brosterman.com/kindergarten.shtml>. 
>> But get the book, you’ll love it. 
>> 
>> Laura Rozenberg
> 
> Thanks so much Laura and Patsy for chiming in here, I’m going to get that 
> book!
> 
> I happened to also borrow a book on the Bauhaus teaching methodology - 
> following a research trail left by Erik Demaine on Curved Folding, and from 
> the list of artist you mention Klee and, Kandinsky were teachers at the 
> Bauhaus. Made me wonder if they are connected - being German - the time 
> periods bookending… after a little more research, and I find the connection 
> is already documented. 
> 
> "The Bauhaus ... including the way in which it was set up by Walter Gropius 
> and Johannes Itten, its roots in the work of Friedrich Froebel” 
> - Lerner, Fern. "Foundations for design education: continuing the Bauhaus 
> Vorkurs vision." Studies in Art Education 46.3 (2005): 211-226.
> 
> Without reading Inventing Kindergarten, I can see the same visual and 
> sculptural language in Froebel and Bauhaus. The visual and sculptural 
> language - including origami - was being influenced by more than a casual 
> connection of Froebelian methods, Froebel was in the roots of the course 
> design. 
> 
> The transfer from Froebel origami to Bauhaus paper folding is a very 
> interesting connection. 
> 
> This is a plausible reason as to why Albers was teaching paper folding in the 
> preliminary course in the first place. Paper as a medium has an intrinsic 
> property: it can be folded. Folding is geometry; is mathematics; is a 
> structural language. 
> 
> This point in particular would be of interest to origami to know more about. 
> 
> Matthew Gardiner

Keeping the whole string of info quoted here for relevance, my apologies for 
the big text block.

Matthew, there is indeed a well documented and strong connection between 
Froebel, the Bauhaus, and further people as well (Frank Gehry, for example). 
Many of the Bauhaus instructors grew up in Froebelian kindergartens and were 
deeply tied to the lessons provided in this very different way of teaching 
children. Norman’s book on Froebel is truly fascinating and absolutely worth 
getting if you’re at all interested - he has an amazing collection of materials 
on the subject.

My wife and I have been working on a book about Froebel folding, and in a 
related connection, I am teaching an Albers-inspired Vorkurs course at the 
Bauhaus Bernau school just outside of Berlin this August 
(https://summerschool-bernau.de/2017/en/ 
<https://summerschool-bernau.de/2017/en/>). Many of the techniques we do in 
origami are applicable to an exploratory course, and nobody taught it better 
than Josef Albers!

My 2 cents

Eric Gjerde

[Origami] Erik & Marty Demaine - Rare Craft Award

[Eric Gjerde]

Hello all,

I was very excited to discover that the American Craft Council (my employer) 
recently awarded the 2016 Balvenie Rare Craft Fellowship award to the Demaines!

http://craftcouncil.org/post/2016-american-craft-council-rare-craft-fellowship-awards
 


My coworkers didn’t really quite understand how excited I was to see origami 
winning out against all other forms of craft art; this was a big win for 
origami as an art form.

Big congratulations to Erik and Marty, and I hope they enjoy the trip to 
Scotland that comes along with the prize!

Re: [Origami] comments on a 2016 origami book, Zen Origami

[Eric Gjerde]

> On Apr 15, 2016, at 12:00 PM, origami-requ...@lists.digitalorigami.com wrote:
> 
> From: "cafe...@pacific.net "  >
> Subject: [Origami] comments on a 2016 origami book, Zen Origami
> Date: April 14, 2016 at 3:18:00 PM CDT
> 
> Noticed Zen Origami by Maria Sinayskaya released in 2016.
> 
> No comments yet on amazon.
> 
> Has anyone seen this book? comments??

Hi Louise,

It’s only just come out - we’re eagerly awaiting a copy to peruse. Maria is 
easily the most detailed and caring origami diagram creator we know, so I have 
no doubts the diagrams and instructions will be perfect!

Re: [Origami] Studio update and Artist question

[Eric Gjerde]

> From: Seth <s...@friedmanorigami.com>
> 
> I'm thinking about what kind of protection finished origami sculptures need 
> and looking to the o-list for opinions about that.
> Can origamis just sit on a shelf uncovered for indefinite periods of time? 
> Can they/should they be safely stored away in boxes instead? Do they need to 
> be covered by glass/acrylic at all times… 

Hi Seth,

I can only chime in with my experiences here - the flat artwork I’ve stored 
properly (between sheets of pH neutral tissue paper in flat file drawers) has 
held up amazingly well, but the 3D items that I’ve kept in boxes or containers 
have lost their shape over time - especially, as Robert mentioned, with cycles 
of humidity. 

Using wire & glue is definitely a must, for any paper sculpture, if you want it 
to stay intact for any lengthy period of time and not change. Paper is too 
fragile a medium to withstand cycles of heat and humidity without additional 
support (even big, heavy paper). If you used enough glue or sizing to mitigate 
paper’s natural love of absorbing water, then you might be able to get away 
without additional wire support. Otherwise things just sag over the years. Kind 
of like people, in fact :)

Also - saying this for the benefit of the larger audience - using acid-free 
paper is a necessity. Commercially made wood pulp paper, in particular, is 
often very acidic, and this will eat apart the paper over a fairly short period 
of time. This is further exacerbated by the fact you’ve spent a lot of time 
folding it (breaking the paper fibers a lot) and rubbed oils from your hands 
all over the paper too, while folding. All this will make a model fall apart 
and look very tatty in a short number of years. The lesson here is: if you care 
enough to make it, you should care enough to make it from good paper.

Storing your unused paper in a dark place, away from the light, is also good - 
helps keep things from breaking down and discoloring. Paper tubes or flat files 
are best. (you can find flat files these days cheaply from architectural firms 
that are shedding old paper archives and moving to all-digital, and are happy 
to have you haul some away.)

Best of luck on building out your studio!

Eric Gjerde

[Origami] Bauhaus paper folding workshop, Asheville NC, March 8th

[Eric Gjerde]

Hello All,

I’m giving a short workshop on Bauhaus paper folding exercises (and related 
history) on March 8th at the Asheville Bookworks in Asheville, NC. More 
information & registration here: http://bit.ly/1QxVyjL <http://bit.ly/1QxVyjL> 
There will be a short talk afterwards about origami in general, which is 
basically just me talking about origami for half an hour :) There will be some 
fun show-and-tell examples, too.

In case you’re in the area, do come along, it will be loads of fun.

Eric Gjerde

[Origami] Origami(esque) artist book project

[Eric Gjerde]

my wife Ioana recently finished an edition of artist books as part of a grant 
project, and created this short (4 min) video to showcase the work:

https://youtu.be/QssRiZ4GtkI 

There are 9 separate geometric slipcases that fit together in a larger square 
container, and each slipcase has an origami-inspired book structure within. 
(note: the book arts world uses all sorts of folding structures for books, but 
rarely creates anything NEW in this - mostly accordion/waterbomb type 
structures, used over and over. So this project focused on creating entirely 
new ones.) All paper is handmade from old linen scraps and abaca. 

It’s on display at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts until February 20th 
(http://mnbookarts.org ), in Minneapolis, MN, in case 
you happen to be in the area.

[Origami] cute simple squirrel model?

[Eric Gjerde]

Hello all,

I’m looking for recommendations for a cute, simple squirrel model. I’ve not had 
much luck in this - they all seem rather complex. Looking for something that’s 
easy to teach in 10 minutes or so, emphasis on “cute”.

Happy to take suggestions via the list or privately. Thanks!

Eric Gjerde

[Origami] Help identifying four models

[Eric Gjerde]

Hello all,

I’m looking for the designers of the four models I’ve posted to this page:

http://www.origamitessellations.com/2014/06/identify-these-four-models/

I’m hoping that the crowd-sourced power of the global O-list can answer my 
questions pretty quickly :)

Thanks for your help!

Eric Gjerde

[Origami] Origami Crocus video instructions

[Eric Gjerde]

Hello All,

My partner Ioana and I put together a quick video for a simple crocus  stem 
design to help welcome in the springtime. (which has yet to arrive here in 
Minnesota...)

Fond wishes for warmer weather prompted us to fold paper flowers in lieu of the 
real ones this chilly april.

Video and such: http://www.origamiforall.com/origami-crocus-video-tutorial/

-Eric Gjerde

Re: [Origami] voronoi instructions?

[Eric Gjerde]

 
 She would like to know if I would be interested in working on an origami
 version. I have found a few things:
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/origomi/91275976/
 but no intstructions.
 Anybody have ideas?
 

Hi Tom,

as the person in question who made the voronoi diagram you've linked to, 
there's a pretty good way to go about making them - the method Stephanie 
Schulze suggested is pretty much how I go about folding them.

However, to generate a mathematically perfect set of pleats that (possibly but 
likely) guarantee flat foldability, you'll need to also fold parallel pleats 
between your dots and the center creases you make. I divide all these in half, 
although you can divide again if you wish. This generates all the creases 
needed to fold the pleats and twist any intersections you so choose.

here's a larger model of one that I made a while ago:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/origomi/6095251677/

-Eric Gjerde

[Origami] great new simple cat model

[Eric Gjerde]

We've just put together a video of a new simple cat design, a joint project by 
Roberto Gretter and my partner Ioana Stoian. It's folded from an A4 sheet, 
although I suspect a US letter sheet would work as well. (A4 is taller and 
thinner, so perhaps trimming down an edge of the letter-size paper would help.)

Anyhow, you can see the model here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ioanastoian/9493965206/

and here's the video:

http://www.origamiforall.com/fluffy-origami-cat-how-to-video/

Enjoy!

Eric Gjerde

[Origami] Origami for All - new book available!

[Eric Gjerde]

I'm happy to announce that my partner Ioana Stoian's new book, Origami for All: 
Elegant Designs from Simple Folds, has been published and is now available for 
purchase!

www.origamiforall.com

This book was a joint project between the two of us — Ioana developed 16 
simple, elegant models, and I did all the diagramming and book layout work. I'm 
pleased with how the finished product turned out. We published the book via our 
own publishing company, Busy Hands Books, and used a wonderful UK printer, 
Westdale Press in Cardiff, Wales. Printed the right way with offset lithography 
on quality cream-colored Munken uncoated paper, with a dark-blue pantone ink - 
it's a book that feels lovely in the hands, and is a pleasure to use!

Check out some of the sample diagrams on the Origami for All website, along 
with photos of all 16 models contained within the book. 

The Source at Origami USA just received the first shipment of these books in 
the US, and will have them for sale at the upcoming Origami USA convention in 
June. If you're going to the convention, stop by the bookshop and check it out!

Eric Gjerde

[Origami] a new diagram

[Eric Gjerde]

Hello All,

Here's a representational origami model from me (yes, I can't believe it 
either.) It's an origami fan, using radial pleating from an A4 sheet. Very 
useful, with a built-in handle.

http://www.origamitessellations.com/2013/03/origami-fan-diagrams/

Step-by-step instructions, no less. PDF with CC license, enjoy!

Eric Gjerde

[Origami] Question: best modular units to make 3D letters?

[Eric Gjerde]

Hello all,

I'm looking for the best modular units to use for making three-dimensional 
letters - like a giant letter T, etc. made out of many units put together.

Some web searching hasn't yielded anything quite like this, but I have no doubt 
that some intrepid modular folder can point me in the right direction!

Bonus points if the modular units have intentional holes or negative space 
inside them/between them.

All help much appreciated.

Thank you,

Eric Gjerde

[Origami] Simple Heart diagram available for download!

[Eric Gjerde]

Hello All,

Over the last two months I have been helping my partner Ioana Stoian to diagram 
models for her new origami book, Origami for All: Elegant Designs from Simple 
Folds. It's certainly been a learning experience for me, diagramming 
representational origami models! I have a newfound respect for all of you who 
do this - much more difficult than creating geometric CPs :)

We've created a little sample PDF of one of the models, a new Simple Heart, and 
have put it online in time for Valentine's Day. It uses nice angular folds to 
create a solid and interestingly shaped heart, something a bit more art-deco 
inspired.

You can find the PDF here:

http://www.ioanastoian.com/2013/simple-heart/

and a bit more information about the upcoming book, along with a little web 
form to put your email into if you'd like us to send you information when the 
book is published and ready for ordering:

http://www.origamiforall.com

Thanks, and happy Valentine's Day!

-Eric Gjerde

Re: [Origami] 300 Origami models

[Eric Gjerde]

On 22 janvier 2013, at 19:00,  BK Webb origami...@gmail.com wrote:

 On Tue, Jan 22, 2013 at 4:21 AM, Eric Gjerde ericgje...@mac.com wrote:
 
 I have to say, I'm entranced at the idea of ancient origami diagrams, 
 meticulously collected over the years and bundled by dozens of various 
 pirates, eventually becoming the only circulating evidence of older origami 
 designs.
 
 Given the out-of-print nature of so many older origami books, I wonder how 
 far off this is from becoming reality?
 
 
 And let's be honest here, these pirates are origamists too.
 

That's the really fascinating thing - *ONLY* dedicated superfans are willing to 
spend the time accumulating an exhaustive and complete collection of arcane 
materials.

so by the very nature of the act, the people pirating these documents are also 
origamists, and super-collectors too. (or at least those distributing the 
initial file sets!)

It's such a curious thing. I wasn't looking to start a copyright argument, it's 
just one of those things that is an amazing quirk of human nature and it makes 
me wish there was a better way to harness it to benefit all parties. Ah well.

-Eric

[Origami] Giant installation piece

[Eric Gjerde]

Last month, I participated in an art salon here in Strasbourg, and I created a 
gigantic tessellation installation for the event.

http://www.origamitessellations.com/2012/12/giant-installation-piece/

it was a long strip of paper, about 42 meters long, with the finished folded 
length somewhere around 25m; with over 19,000 folds, 3km of creases, and about 
a month of actual folding time to finish it. 

I've put up numerous photos of the folding / build process and the final 
result. 

I definitely enjoyed the reaction from all the visitors (if not the actual 
folding process itself!) and it cemented a desire to work on larger 
installation pieces down the road. Sometimes bigger is better and with works 
like this I think that's certainly the case.

Happy new year,

Eric Gjerde

Re: [Origami] The other side of illegal books

[Eric Gjerde]

On 30 septembre 2012, at 19:00, Jean-Christophe Helary wrote:

 I would personally respect it more (nothing personal against Nick), if it 
 were accompanied by an effort from the author to offer easy access to his 
 published work. Otherwise it a totally meaningless posture and it certainly 
 does not contribute to the spreading of Origami or to anything at all for 
 that matter.

Do bear in mind that most authors do not own or have any control over their 
work- the copyright (and the book) belongs to the publisher. I don't have any 
control over what my publisher does with my book, nor any way to make it more 
available or to provide easier access. Would I like to make it more 
available? and have more sales? do you honestly think any author wouldn't want 
this? It's just not something we have power to change, with the way things are. 
I agree the distribution system is a racket, they maintain a chokehold over 
physical distribution; however blaming me as the author isn't going to change 
anything.

 Nick and Ronald Koh and David Brill, I feel it would be an insult to 
 download an illegal copy of their books, and I never have nor will. It would 
 feel like stealing silverware from a friend's house. (Not quite the same, 
 but you understand.)
 
 If you really feel that way, consider that an author gets about 10% from the 
 book price. So if you only have access to illegal downloads and not to the 
 paper  editions, why not send money to the author that corresponds to the 
 remuneration he'd get otherwise ? It won't change the fact that the 
 transaction is not legal, but it will certainly contribute to cutting the 
 number of dead trees involved. And if the author is not happy with that, I 
 wonder what would make him happy...


I've tracked quite a few thousand illegal downloads of my book, and to date 
nobody has sent me anything as remuneration. I'm not asking for it, of course, 
but I think if pirates were sending donations out of the goodness of their own 
hearts even 10% of the time, we wouldn't be having this conversation at all :)

I'm very much in support of sharing, open content, and decentralized 
distribution systems, but it's a hard argument to say that the piracy is 
correct and right. It often happens when access to goods is not possible- I've 
observed this myself first-hand, many times. I understand the reasoning behind 
that, of course- what else can you do? but as an author I don't have any way to 
rectify that situation. If you'd like to give us some suggestions as to how we 
could do that, through our existing publishing houses, I'd appreciate that 
input.

Eric Gjerde