Good lord isn’t this little koi amazing? It’s amazing. Look at all those teeny tiny scaly folds! It originally appeared on the tumblelog of Mizu Kami and was subsequently reblogged about a billion times, but I don’t think he’s the artist. I bet the instructions would require 100 times the amount of paper. (via fasels suppe)
Update: It turns out that Mizu Kami did in fact fold the Koi, and the design is by Won Park. (thnx mizu & caitlin!)
(click images for detail)
Sculptor Chun Kwang Young uses a seemingly infinite quantity of small foam wedges wrapped in Korean mulberry paper to create imposing, meteoric installations that seem to crack and splinter like fractals. Via the New York Times:
Chun’s preference for using natural dyes and handmade mulberry paper was born from childhood memories of his uncle’s pharmacy, where small medicinal herb parcels that were similarly wrapped with paper and hung in tight clusters from the ceiling in order to protect them from insects. [...] “I love nature and I want to live my life in harmony with nature,” he said. “Our ancestors lived modestly and simply, and thought all lives should be respected. “I hope my work can take this traditional Korean message forward to modern society.”
Like yesterday’s paintings by Kim Hyo-Suk it’s difficult to imagine without seeing these in person that they’re actually real. (images courtesy ravenel, nate dorr, mu-um, and jasmine trabelsi)
Yeah, so file this under things I’ll never have the patience to do. Details are scarce, but Flickr user EyalR folds some incredible things with a single sheet of paper. Most of the designs are by other artists, such as Nguyen Hung Cuong and Hojyo Takashi, but his skill is palpable in each delicate piece. This lizard almost looks like real thing.
Sydney-based designer and paper artist Bianca Chang (previously) creates beautifully complex typographic sculptures by sequentially cutting shifting forms out of dozens if not hundreds of sheets of paper. Once stacked, the three dimensional letterforms are born. She recently recorded this great stop motion piece for Sydney’s A4 Paper Festival. I’m really excited to see her work progressing and can’t wait to see where it leads her. (via picked by six)
While technically not “Tetris” notes, ahem, these Block Notes from SUCK UK are pretty fantastic. Maybe it’s just me but I sense a the potential here for a lot more than just leaving notes. Elaborate artwork. Stop motion projects. A ridiculously hard to read book. Pick up a pack of all 8 pads for just £7.50 while they last. (via all things cool)
I just discovered the work of Belgium-based Kris Trappeniers who describes himself as a “paper sculptor”. His delicately cut stencils are among the most complex I’ve ever seen, the twisting, curving line work creating these amazing portraits that are unbelievably finished with spraypaint.
The abundance of book sculpture I’ve seen online lately is staggering, however it was refreshing to discover the work of UK-based Bronia Sawyer who colors, folds, and rolls the pages of books to create these bird and flower-like plumes of color. Via her site:
I love to take something like a book and turning it in to something visually pleasing. With book sculpture I like the fact that books are flat and square they have order but by cutting them and folding them you can create organice and random shapes. I also like to add colours but mainly for the way it looks in photographs.
See lots more work via her Flickr and website.
(via illusion and all things paper)
The Jack Cardboard Wall Mask is an 87-piece topographical face mask made from 50% recycled cardboard. It ships flat and you assemble it like a puzzle. Available from Uncommon Goods for $40.
