2 Small Words 1 Art Form: Origami
In the Japanese language, ‘oru’ meanings ‘folding’ and ‘kami’ means ‘paper’
‘Origami’, therefore, is that art of folding paper. Both a visual art and a unique form of entertainment it originated around 790BC in Japan when Buddhist monks from China brought paper for the first time into Japan.
Using a square piece of paper (usually 15x15cm) and combining a series of creases and folds one can create as many designs as one can imagine. It is an art form that never ceases to amaze with applications in many fields from mathematics, medicine, architecture and space to nanotechnology.
The symbol of origami is the crane which is considered one of the holy animals of Japan, along with dragons and turtles. It is the symbol of good health, happiness and peace. An old Japanese legend says that if one creates one thousand cranes out of origami, then one can request the fulfillment of one wish from this sacred bird, as the crane can give longevity, good health and cure any disease!
Everyone can practice this art, regardless of age, and without the need for special skills or abilities. Origami designs vary in degree of difficulty starting from the boat or paper airplane (which we have all made at some point) to origami pieces that move, and more complex pieces that can have between 200-300 folds to complete.
Origami contributes not only to the development of one’s imagination and creativity, but also to the strengthening of one’s self-confidence.
So, let your fantasy run free, take up a piece of paper (from newspaper, magazine, A4 glue, post it paper and even a napkin!) and create your own unique paper world.