Paper Creations

Looking around my room back home, I rediscovered a familiar jar filled with folded stars I made years ago. Although they do not have the appearance of a professional origami artists’ handicraft, it peeked my curiosity, leading me to research origami designs online. Within a few minutes, I came across a name of a man who is considered to be a legend in the origami world - Akira Yoshizawa.

Sure enough, I learned the reasons why many modern folders harbor so much respect for Yoshizawa. All of his paper artworks are characterized by simple and clean folds, yet the actual designs created, which range from animals to flowers, are so realistic in details - gorillas' protruding jaws and sunken eyes, a peacock's lush fanned tail, and more – that they are able to leave viewers from half a century later in wonder and awe.

Some critics may argue that Yoshizawa’s designs are too simple and that he did not deserve the worldly attention he received. However, Yoshizawa achieved to bring life out of mere sheets of paper, something that most people cannot do. For instance, he successfully depicted the playfulness of young children in his design “Boy Jumping Rope.”

Some of his designs were more peculiar than others, such as the one titled “Fantasy Teapot.” Nevertheless, his combination of a dog with a teapot further explains his success in the art of origami; Yoshizawa folds his imagination into reality.

Unsurprisingly, his name and legacy lives on even after his death in early 2005 through his mastered designs and contributions to modern origami.

*Photos taken from Gabriel Vong's Ori-Scope