Repeated Paper Modules

Repeated Paper Modules 

PROJECT OBJECTIVE: 

Create a repeated Paper Module Sculpture inspired by origami

Fold, curl, twist or crumple paper (magazine pages, printed out photos, maps, book pages, etc.) and create 30-60 of the same form (they can be different sizes). Glue the papers into either a 3D-sculptural form or a relief sculpture on painted cardboard. This piece should emphasize unity/variety and balance.

PRESENTATION: 

Critical to 3-D production, students must consider presentation: 

• Freestanding
• Suspension
• Relief
• Pedestal
• Consider the environment

CA ART STANDARDS

1.5 Analyze the material used by a given artist and describe how its use influences the meaning of the work.

2.1 Solve a visual arts problem that involves the effective use of the elements of art and the principles of design.

3.4 Discuss the purposes of art in selected contemporary cultures

4.1 Articulate how personal beliefs, cultural traditions, and current social, economic, and political contexts influence the interpretation of the meaning or message in a work of art.

4.4 Articulate the process and rationale for refining and reworking one of their own works of art.

5.2 Create a work of art that communicates a cross-cultural or universal theme taken from literature or history.

DISCUSSION: 

• Origami historians argue that since the invention of paper is credited to Ts'ai Lun of China in A.D.105, paper folding must have been invented soon after. 
• Paper was then introduced to Japan in the late sixth century by Buddhist monks, and paper folding was brought along with it. 
• In Japan, paper was considered an expensive commodity, and it was used in many aspects of Japanese life, most notably in architecture. 
• Historians claim that origami is definitely a Japanese invention. 
• Regardless of its ultimate origin, Japan is recognized as the country that most fully developed the traditional art of origami.
• The Japanese transmitted their designs via an oral tradition
• Recreational designs being passed from mother to daughter. 
• Because nothing was ever written down, only the simplest designs were kept. 
• The first written instructions appeared in AD 1797 with the publication of the Thousand Crane Folding 
• The name origami was coined in 1880 from the words oru (to fold) and kami (paper). Previously, the art was called orikata ("folded shapes”).

Origami generally involves folding a square piece of paper into a two or three dimensional object. 

Folding paper in origami is typically performed by hand only on a smooth surface, but can include tools: including a scorer, embosser, paper clips and tweezers.

Origami has a strong link to mathematics, and can be seen used in practical solutions such as airbags in vehicles

Origami has been a common subject of copyright issues, as designs have been often stolen and republished.

ARTIST: 

• Richard Sweeney was born in Huddersfield, England in 1984. 
• He discovered a talent for sculpture at Batley School of Art and Design in 2002
• He studied Three Dimensional Design at the Manchester Metropolitan University, 
• He concentrated on the hands-on manipulation of paper to create design models, which ultimately developed into sculptural pieces in their own right.
• Richard’s practice combines the disciplines of design, photography, craft and sculpture, resulting in a varied output of work including graphic design and public sculpture commissions. 
• Richard seeks to maintain an experimental, hands-on approach, utilizing the unique properties of often mundane materials to discover unique sculptural forms. 
• He regularly holds workshops to share his knowledge of paper folding and construction techniques

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS: 

• Create a repeated paper modules sculpture
• Fold, curl, or origami paper (your choice of paper: magazine pages, printed out photos, maps, book pages, etc.) 
• Create min: 50-100 of the same form (they can be different sizes). 
• Sculpture should emphasize unity, variety, and balance.
• Student must consider presentation: suspension, relief or free standing on floor/base