I took a paper folding and engineering class when I was in college, and despite the shit-ton of paper cuts I got and all the times I nearly sliced my fingers open with an X-Acto knife, it ranks pretty high on my list of all-time favorite classes. No pain, no gain, right?
Most people think of paper as something that you create on (you paint on it, draw on it, write on it, etc.) and don’t realize that it’s actually something that you can create with. It’s an extremely versatile medium in and of itself, without all that other stuff. Here’s a small selection of impressive examples of what artists are doing with paper. The first piece was made by my paper folding and engineering professor, who uses his mad paper folding skills to collaborate with scientists, and the last piece was made by yours truly. Looking at the infinite possibilities shown by these works, I kind of want to break out my X-Acto knife and cutting mat and turn my desk here at BUST into a paper art extravaganza.
Ara 106 by Matt Shlian
Alice in Wonderland by Paper Noodle
Radial Reverie by Jen Stark
Abscission by Owen Gildersleeve
Little Red Riding Hood by Elsa Mora
By Lan Truong
(Definitely not as impressive as all the pieces above, but I had a blast making it. It was a spread in a class pop-up book about stuff you wanted to do before you died. I wanted to visit the forest.)
And, if you have some time this weekend and access to Netflix Instant Queue, watch this documentary. It’s not too long, and will probably get you in the mood to pick up your own scissors and let loose on a piece of paper (or twelve).
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE4lqYzS2m0 425×344]
All images belong to their respective artists and makers.
