I have always been interested in both art and science. Growing up, I thought of those two interests as being more or less completely separate. As I progressed through my college studying both chemistry and studio art, I started seeing connections between the two. My artistic training helped me visualize molecules and reactions in 3D, and my art became very structured and organized, using the same sort of logical connections I used in my science classes.
After starting graduate school, I had my interest in origami rekindled. I discovered the geometric folding style to create curved, flowing vases and bowls that others had developed, and very quickly I was hooked. From looking at crease patterns posted online, I realized that I could figure out the math behind their designs and very quickly moved on to creating my own designs. I was drawn to both the aesthetic qualities of the origami and the mathematical challenge of figuring out how to create interesting shapes from just a piece of paper.
My design process is a melding of artistic and engineering approaches. I want to create shapes that are visually interesting and appealing to look at. At the same time, the design process is heavily driven by the engineering aspects of figuring out how to turn one uncut rectangle (or rarely, a circle or another shape) into a complex shape. The inspiration for specific designs comes from both aspects. Some designs are mostly driven by a shape or an idea I want to capture in paper, and others are based on something an engineering motif that I think could be used in interesting ways artistically. When I have a new idea, I often spend time working through the math and test-folding simple pieces until I have a folding strategy that works.
Once I have a folded motif engineered, incorporating it into a finished model or series is usually the more straightforward part. For each piece, I start with a sketch on graph paper, to scale. At this point, I know in general how the folds in the crease pattern will fit together. Then, I calculate the precise dimensions. Some of the calculations involve relatively straightforward geometry such as calculating the circumference of a circle, but others are complex enough that I have incorporated them into computer scripts.
I only start working on the piece after all the folds and dimensions are planned in full detail, to the nearest 0.5 mm. I work almost exclusively using Zanders Elephant Hide paper. I cut the paper into a rectangle of the correct size. The first step is painting the paper with watered-down acrylic paint. I measure all the necessary reference points and tape off the edges to get clean lines; since I know where all the folds will be, I align the paint with where the folds will later be. Then, I start folding. I re-measure the reference points on the reverse side of the paper and score all the folds with a sharp tool. For straight folds, I can simply score against the edge of a ruler; for the curved folds, I usually cut a template and score along the edge so that all the curves are identical around the form. Then, I pre-crease all the folds and start collapsing the piece. I use a little glue to turn the paper into a tube but try to minimize glue elsewhere in the piece. Some sections of the model hold together just from the folds, but many of the curves need to be wet-folded and held in place with tape until they dry. Even though some pieces are more driven by the aesthetics and some are more driven by the engineering, the design and folding process for every piece incorporates elements of both.
In my work, I have incorporated the idea of the intersection of art and science visually through the relationships between straight and curved lines. Through a series of folds, the flat rectangle of paper is transformed into a curved, flowing surface. But the transformation also goes the other way: folds and paint lines that are sinusoidal on the flat paper create flat planes in the folded forms. I have explored variations on this theme, changing angles and locations of the flat planes and the shape and color relationships between the divided parts.
I hope my work will give you a glimpse of how I see the world. I want you to see the simple beauty and elegance of the forms and also think about how the shapes are constructed from uncut rectangles of paper. When I see the world (whether a sunset or a tree or a building), I don’t just notice the colors and shapes, but I also think about how light is absorbed or scattered to create those visual effects and what sort of science and engineering is going on under the surface. I hope my work will inspire you, even just for a minute, to see the beauty of your surroundings and think about all the incredible inner workings behind it.