Issue #126  •  WINTER/SPRING 2018

The Magazine of OrigamiUSA

Tributes to Mark Kennedy

and “Yami” Yamauchi
CUNY student
chooses Origami
for graduation

Senses Unfolded!
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In This Issue

FEATURES On the cover

On the cover: The Origami
8-9 OrigamiUSA Wants You! Investing in Holiday Tree was in a new
Young Folders, by Charlene Morrow location this year. It was framed
by windows in the fourth floor
10 PCOC Wows Scholarship Winner, by Alex turret of the American Museum
Matthews of Natural History providing
natural light that was not
11 New Software Speeds Origami Structure available at the previous location.
Designs, by Josh Brown The move was due to planned
construction in the museum,
12 Obituary: The Lord of the Pins. Mark which turned into a plus for us!
Kennedy (1950-2018) (Photo by Andrew Cribb).

18 7OSME, International Meeting on Origami

in Science, Math, and Education, by Mark
Bolitho 8 12
19-21 Obituary: Life is Beautiful. A Tribute to
“Yami” Yamauchi, by Michael Sanders et al

26-27 A+in Origami Book Design, by Ryan Dong

28-29 A Paperfolding Trove Hidden in the

New England Woodlands, by Laura Rozenberg

from the HOME–office

3 Letter from the President 18
4-6 Holiday Tree: Senses Unfolded. Intro by
Maxwell Jones
7 Annual Gift Contributors
13 2018 Michael Shall Volunteer Recognition
Award honoring Mark Kennedy
30 Book Review: A Tribute to David Lister, by
26
Patsy Wang-Iverson
31 News from The Source 11 19
32 Calendar , Origami Connect, Special
Folding Sessions

diagrams
(Photo by Monica Nouwens for
14-17 Bird, by Damian Malicki (Poland) Bruna Mori, 2007)

22-25 Manta Ray, by Julián Rodríguez (USA)

2 The PAPER | Winter/Spring 2018

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Issue #126  •  WINTER/SPRING 2018
Letter from
the Magazine of OrigamiUSA
(Formerly The Friends of The Origami Center of America)
the President
15 West 77th Street Dear Friends,
New York, NY 10024-5192
(212) 769-5635 I am writing to you with a heavy heart as my thoughts turn to the recent losses to the
fax (212) 769-5668 origami community of Yami Yamauchi and Mark Kennedy. This issue of The Paper
admin@origamiusa.org
includes a tribute for each of them.
Visit our website at:
www.origamiusa.org Yami was a much-loved creator, known for his wonderful action models and joyful
The magazine is published by OrigamiUSA teaching. I have fond memories of folding with him in the great room at Convention,
to communicate with its members and to and seeing some of his hallmark techniques, such as making modular models (like
share ideas and information about the art Fireworks) by folding several sheets of paper at once using tongue depressors as folding
of paperfolding. Mail editorial material
to the Home-Office at the above address tools. I love teaching the Fireworks model whenever I can. One of the joys of Yami’s
with “Attention: The Paper” marked clearly models was that precision wasn’t always needed to get a great result that was fun to play
on the envelope, or email to: with. Yami’s table at the Convention Exhibition always had a sign encouraging folks to
thepaper@origamiusa.org pick up the models and play.
The Paper – Editorial Staff
Laura Rozenberg, Managing Editor Mark was an iconic part of the origami landscape, traveling the world to many origami
Lanny Sherwin, Editor conventions with his wife Arlene Gorchov. He was always teaching. My last memory of
Wendy Zeichner, Advising Editor Mark was on December 3, 2017, when even though he had been quite sick, he had a short
Marc Kirschenbaum, Diagram Editor
remission and came in to teach at Special Sessions. He was so happy to be able to share
Faye Goldman, International News Editor
Gay Merrill Gross, Kathy Wallace, some of his favorite action models, and attendees were equally happy to learn from him.
Patsy Wang-Iverson, Proofreaders My earliest memory of Mark was having him “squeak” my sons when they were young
The Paper Committee and laughing along at his “Dad” jokes. And so many of us were recipients of Mark’s pins
Laura Rozenberg (Chair), and magnets, which he loved giving away. I wear one of Mark’s pins nearly every day.
Lanny Sherwin, Wendy Zeichner
One thing that both Yami and Mark had in common was that they loved children. Both
OrigamiUSA
of them were big “kids” themselves, so it’s fitting that donations made in their honor
OrigamiUSA is a volunteer-based not-for-
profit tax-exempt, cultural and educational arts will help to continue the scholarship program that was piloted for the 2017 Pacific Coast
organization founded in 1980. Its mission is OrigamiUSA Convention (see article in on page 8). The Board of Directors has formed
to share the joy and appreciation of an ongoing Scholarship Committee and has appointed Patty Grodner as Chair. The cur-
paperfolding, preserve its history, nurture its
growth, bring people together, and encourage
rent focus of the Scholarship Committee is to invest in young folders.
community among paperfolders.
And speaking of PCOC 2017 in Los Angeles, thanks to Patty Grodner (Committee Chair)
FOUNDERS and Joel Stern (Local lead) and all the volunteers that made it such a wonderful event. It
Lillian Oppenheimer (1898–1992) was so nice to see Special Guests Paul Jackson and Seth Friedman teaching their creations.
Alice Gray (1915–1994)
Michael Shall (1950–1995) Now we are well into planning for the Annual Convention, which will be held on June
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 22-25, 2018 at St. John’s University. One very big change is that for the first time ever,
Wendy Zeichner, President/CEO we will have online ticketing for the classes at Convention. Please watch the website for
Charlene Morrow, Chair
updates and instructions, and especially for critical registration dates.
Patty Grodner, Vice Chair
Jason Ku, Treasurer We have just launched a Convention Survey to find out about your Annual Convention
Char Morrow, Secretary
David Kandel experiences. We want to know what we can improve and what we can do to tempt more
Marc Kirschenbaum of you to attend. The link for the Survey is on the home page of the website and here:
Edith Kort https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NYCConvSurvey02_18
Michael Montebello
Marcio Noguchi We really appreciate your participation! The survey will close on April 11, 2018.
Kathleen Sheridan
I hope to see many of you soon and share a moment of folding.
OrigamiUSA STAFF
Andrea Brecker, Administrator
Best,
Heidi Lenney, Manager Wendy Zeichner
for The Origami Source
Veronica Carman (Editopia Design), OrigamiUSA President/CEO
Designer for The Paper March, 2018

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2017 OrigamiUSA at the American Museum of Natural History

Holiday Tree
Senses Unfolded!
By Maxwell Jones
For the past 45 years, year, in the Astor Turret on the fourth floor.
Photos by Andrew Cribb The area was a circular room, with windows
Origami USA has on all sides except the entrance side, and the
partnered with the While the Holiday Tree was only on display for
a few weeks, the work put into it far exceeds
tree in the middle. Colored lights focused
from the ground to the tree so it always ap-
Museum of Natural that. Volunteers fold the models that will go peared lit. There were all different kinds of
History in New York to on display, and models from past years are also
used. This year's theme for the Holiday Tree
models on the tree, ranging from dinosaurs, to
masks, to pianos, to origami optical illusions
create a special Holiday was “Unfolding the Senses”, which comes in (which fit with the theme.) Kids and parents
tree with nothing but accordance with a short term exhibit in the
Museum, focused on exploring the visitors'
alike loved the exhibit, with a packed crowd
for the opening of the 13 foot tall tree.
origami models. senses. The tree was in a different location this (In the captions, D: Designer; F: Folder)

TOUCH. Blue tessellation: Shuzo Fujimoto

(D), Edward Mistretta (F). Gray Tessellation:
Lumo Sato (D, F). Cactus in a Pot: David
Petty (D), Rosalind Joyce (F). Cactus flower:
Traditional (D), Rosalind Joyce (F).Look
(Hand): Ogawa Tomo (D), Michael Verry (F)

Stained Glass Quilt: Doug Caine (D & F)

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Children at the tree lighting day
HUMAN AND BEE'S VIEW. Black-Eyed
Susan (neo-traditional design); Delrosa
Marshall (F). Center Florets: Delrosa
Marshall (D&F). Leaves (traditional
and Delrosa Marshall designs) -
Delrosa Marshall (F). Mask: Toyoaki
Kawaii (D), Rosalind Joyce (F). Bee:
Marc Kirschenbaum (D) – model from
OrigamiUSA collection
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OPTICAL ILLUSION with the magic cube
BRAIN RECOGNITION. Brain: Chris Itoh (D
&F). Crystals: Robert Neale (D), Rosalind
Joyce (F). Triangular Prism: John Montroll
(D), Rosalind Joyce (F). Triangular
Dipyramid: John Montroll (D), Rosalind
Joyce (F). Magic Cube Optical Illusion:
Jeremy Shafer (D), Talo Kawasaki (F)
ELECTRO AND MAGNETO RECEPTORS.
Pigeon and salmon: Roman Diaz (D),
Rosalind Joyce (F). Platypus: Steven
Casey (D), Rosalind Joyce (F)
TASTE. Cornucopia: Talo Kawasaki (D & F)
Mouth with Tongue (Grosera): Alexander
Oliveros (D) Rosalind Joyce (F)
Jalapeño: Joseph Wu (D), Rosalind
Joyce (F). Coke bottle: Gilad Aharoni (D),
Rosalind Joyce (F). Rat: Eric Joisel (D),
model from OrigamiUSA collection
Pizza: Russell Cashdollar (D), Rosalind
Joyce (F). Watermelon slice: Shoko Aoyagi
(D), Patty Grodner (F). Watermelon half:
Talo Kawasaki (D & F). French fries:
Charles Esseltine (D), Donna Walcavage
(F). Strawberries: Rae Cooker (D),
Rosalind Joyce (F). Lemon half: Marc Vigo
(D), Dan Cohen (F)
Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 5
2017 HOLIDAY TREE
Escher Fish
The tree was Tessellation:
in a different Nick
location this Robinson
year, in the (D), Rosalind
Astor Turret Joyce (F)
on the fourth
floor

SIGHT. Eagle: Nguyen Hung Cuong (D), Ryan

Charpentier (F). Rabbit: Ronald Koh (D),
Ryan Charpentier (F). Tree: John Montroll
(D), Rosalind Joyce (F). Grass: Delrosa
Marshall (D & F)

SMELL. Nose: Talo Kawasaki (D & F).

Dinner Plate: Hyo Ahn (D), Rosalind Joyce
(F). Fish on a Fork: Alexander Poddubny
(D), Rosalind Joyce (F). Fish Bones:
Sebastien Limet (D), Rosalind Joyce (F).
Coffee Cup: Shuzo Fujimoto (D), Rosalind
Joyce(F). Centipede: (unknown designer),
model from OrigamiUSA collection.
Skunks: John Montroll (D), model from
OrigamiUSA collection
LATERAL LINE SYSTEM, ELECTRORECEPTION.
Echidna: John Richardson (D), model from
OrigamiUSA collection. Hammerhead
Shark: Fernando Gilgado (D), Rosalind
Joyce (F). Shark: Joe Adia (D & F). Blue
Shark: John Montroll (D), model from
OrigamiUSA collection. Sting Ray: Paul
Frasco (D &F). Grass: Rosalind Joyce (D & F)
OPTICAL ILLUSIONS. Penrose Triangle:
Alessandro Beber (D), Rosalind Joyce (F).
“Vase o Visage?”: Eric Vigier (D), Lorne
Dannenbaum (F). Eyes: Ryuhei Uehara (D),
Michael Verry (F). Nose with Moustache:
Jeremy Shaffer & Michael Verry (D) Michael
Verry (F)
SOUND. Grand Piano: Patricia Crawford
(D), Rosalind Joyce (F). Hands: Jeremy
Shafer (D), Dan Cohen (F). Base Fiddle:
Daniel Porter (D), Rosalind Joyce (F). Ears:
Talo Kawasaki (D & F). Flower with Leaf:
(traditional design), Rosalind Joyce (F)

Volunteers for the 2017 Holiday Tree

Designers: Model Setup: New Models folded by: Rosalind Joyce Ibuki Torimae
Rosalind Joyce Nikki Charpentier Joe Adia Talo Kawasaki Michael Verry
Talo Kawasaki Ryan Charpentier John Blackman Mary T. Kelly Donna Walcavage
Matthew Hermann Doug Caine Beata Kupczak John B. Weiss
Rosalind Joyce
Tree/Model Setup: Ryan Charpentier Alfred Kwan Tovi Wen
Talo Kawasaki
AMNH Exhibition Dan Cohen Jeffrey Y. Li Janet Yelle
Alfred Kwan
Staff: Delrosa Marshall Lorne Dannenbaum Delrosa Marshall
Tory Ferarro Joel M. Roselin Sheree Green Dori Melowicz Photographer
Steven Secka Kathryn Wagner Patty Grodner Edward Mistretta Andrew Cribb
Jake Adams Loretta White Christopher Itoh Lumo Sato

6 The PAPER | Winter/Spring 2018

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Annual Gift Contributors
Linda Adams Evan Deddo Chris Killeen Dori Melowicz
Linda Alberts Linda Demaray Timothy Kingwell Barbara Merritt
Susan Allardice Mark DeWolf-Ott Marc Kirschenbaum Maureen Miller-Calamo
Amy Anderson Lois Dicker Yasuko Kizushi Kazuyo Mizukami
Arlene Anderson Tess Dillenberger Betty-Ann Kleinschmidt Danielle Montague-Judd Eitan Romero Valerie Vann
Jackie Antonoff Giang Dinh Terese Klinger Linda Moore Amy Rompala Maria Velazquez
Robin Archibald Gale D'Luhy Jan Knez Susan Moore Jane Rosemarin Matthew Ventura
Ellen Aronson Andrea Doughtie Lyn Komada Sarah Muegge Barbara Rothman Bob Voelker
Rachel Avery Henri Dutilly Kyoko Kondo Meenakshi Mukerji Evelyn Rubenstein Donna Walcavage
Pip Azzara Jonathan Edwards Artem Kozhuh George Mumford Marlen Rust Anita Wales
Jean Baden-Gillette Beverly Estis Yaroslav Kozhuh Mary Mumford Catherine Saines Kathy Wallace
Deanna Badgett Ira Fine Ruth Kronvold Rafael Munoz-Gonzalez Bunny Sanchez Helena Wang
Annette Barney Jennifer Fountain Liz Kuny Linda Musich Diane Sandberg Patsy Wang-Iverson
Linda Bates Karen Franzmeier Sharon Kurashige Michael Naughton Margaret Saracco Kuniaki Watabe
Jonathan Baxter Bruce Fryer Kayo Kurata Brita Nawroth Reza Sarvi Paul Weinberg
Beverly Beaver Judith Fryer Judith La Pietra Alice Nelsen Lumo Sato John Weiss
Frank Beck Kean Gill Emily Laber-Warren Brenda Newman Diane Schaeberle Suzanne Wertz
Andre Bedard Mariana Giner Martha Landy Maximilliam Nguyen MaryAnn Scheblein- Harry Westphal
Hildegard Behr James Goddard Thomas Lapsley Ashley Nishihara Dawson Susan Wettling
Jacqueline Behson Matthew Goggin Serena LaVine Gwen Noda Diane Schievella Loretta & Vince White
Maria Beitel Ina Gail Goldberg Gregory Laymon Tom Novak Nancy Schneider Peter Whitehouse
Tona Bell Eric Gower Connie Linn Leavell Susan Novick Merle Scribner Liz Whittaker
Alice Bellagh Gail Grande Benjamin Lee Katharine O'Hare Kriti Shah Andrew Wilcox
Theresa Benedetti Zarin Greenough Changhyeon Lee Koustubh Oka Charlotte Shandley Heather Willensky
Marjorie Best Penny Groom Charlotte Lee Nobuko Okabe Iris Shen Shellene Wilson
Rabbitt Betzner Gay Merrill Gross Heidi Lenney Louise Oppenheimer- Kathleen Sheridan Martha Winslow-Cole
Juliana Biro Mick Guy Joan Levin Flax Miho Shida Lei-Hung Betty Wong
Francesca Blueher Judy Hall Linda Levin J O'Shea Chung Shum Russell Wood
Nathan Boerner Francoise Halvorsen Charlyn Lewis David Pacheco Kathleen Silva Sonia Wu
Linda Bogan Jun Hamamoto Joan Lewis Jean-Paul Paquet Patricia Sisler Jinni Xu
Kevin Box Janet Hamilton Jeffrey Li Paula Parris Bernice Smith June Yamasaki
Erin Boyle Darlyne Handley Minou Lidji Candace Paska Pete Smith Elaine Yatsko
Christian Brandstetter Tracy Harbaugh Brenda Lilly Banks Peacock Barbara Snow Linda Yau
Nancy Brandwein Arthur Harris Yuki Lin Alessandra Pecci Joan Son M Yee
Christele Brien Jerry Harris Diana Lisi Liz Peterson Yuri Sotar Janet Yelle
Marcela Brina Marta Herrero Lisa Longo Lin Peyton Olga Soukharevsky Ah Moi Yip
Mark Burger Mark Hervin Byriah Loper Dennis Piatkowski Melody Sowa Elizabeth Yip
Chris Burton Megan Hicks Gayle LoPiccolo Theodore Pomeroy Sophia St. Jean Yee Nor Yuen
Laura Byron Stephen Hill Inmaculada Lora Howard Portugal Lotus Stack Wendy Zeichner
Joshua Cacciapalle Frances Ho Cindy Luke Judith Powell Robert Stark Leoila Zeigler
Chila Caldera Carol Hodsdon Dee Lynch George Procinski Graham Stearns Zelimir Zlatic
Laurel Callahan Margaret Hofknecht Linda MacFarlane Judy Pruitt Frances Stein
Jordi Adell Capdevila Edward Holmes Wendy Mach Deborah Pun Heidi Steltzner Origami Groups:
Eva Cavazos Eileen Holzman Lynda Mains Annette Purnell Joel Stern Amigami Group
Leslie Cefali Kate & Yanori Bettina Marlow Elizabeth Quinones Kathy Stevick Birmingham UK Group
Sylvia Cerel-Suhl Honeyman Sylvia Mars Poindron Barbara Radcliffe Stephen Stroud British Origami Society
Po-Shen Chang Carol Horton Delrosa Marshall Peggy Rate Ken Sugawara Holton-Arms School
Tony Cheng Karen Houston Kris Maryou Rhonda Rea Barbara Syrett Students & Teachers
Claire Christian Larry Howell Pierson Mast Karen Reeds Wayne Tahara Moorhead Origami
Martine Huget Mary Lou Reichard Tricia Tait Club
Sue Ann Chu Robin Matsumoto
Kiyoe Ise Bob Reid Wayne Tanaka New College Origami
Sophie Clark Cynthia Maurer Group
Sara Cole Judy Iwamoto Peter Mayer Marti Reis William Temple
North Durham
Matthew Colvin Divya Iyer Rochelle Mazze Sandra Resnick Heather Thompson Origami Club
Jeannie Comcowich Nancy Jenks Christine McCullough Cindy Reynaud Sandy Toivonen Ohio Paper Folders
Sandra Congreve Eva Jensen Marla McElvany Mary Lou Richard Joyce Tomas Origami Houston
James Connolly Oliver Jiang Marae McGhee Carolyn Richardson Agnes Tomorrow Origami Odyssey
Renee Cook Jean Johnson Sean McHale Kate Richardson Laurie Travers Poltava Extra School
Catherine Cooper Kirk Joseph Jon McKellar Sandra Richman Arnold Tubis
Salem Origami Club
Mary Craig Ros Joyce Fred McLaughlin Juliann Richter David Tuttle
San Quentin Group
Andrew Cribb Jennifer Kahn Dorian McMath Katherine Riley Cylvia Ultz
Triangle Origami
Jason Daniels Rachel Katz Griffin Meier Jean Rishel Sophie Usherwood Folders United (TOFU)
Dona Davidson Chiyo Kawai Anika Meisel Anne Roberts Namiko Uyemoto UFT- Retired Teachers
Phyllis Davidson Luna Dara Kelondra Jack Mello John Rogers Maria Valerio Origami Class

Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 7

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OrigamiUSA Young Folders Scholarship

OrigamiUSA Wants You!

Investing in Youth
OrigamiUSA launched a Alex
Harry Allen, left, and
new youth scholarship Matthews holdi ng mo dels
de sig ne d an d fol ded,
they
initiative in 2017, offering at PCOC 2017.
scholarships to two young
folders to attend PCOC.

by Charlene Morrow
Chair, OrigamiUSA Board
of Directors
Photos by Hank Morris
The idea was the brainchild of Patty
Grodner, Vice Chair of the Board of
Directors of OrigamiUSA, who you may
also know as the new chair for the PCOC.
One background factor stimulating the
idea of more actively supporting our
youth is the data from the 2015 survey
that shows clearly how our membership is
very disproportionately over 55. A second
factor was the enthusiasm brought to
the board in summer 2017 by our newly
elected board member, Sunil Dhavalikar,
for youth programs. He was really eager to
put a lot of energy into getting origami out requiring a detailed description of the Harry Allen comments
there in youth settings, whether schools, youth’s work and a letter of support from
after school clubs, or completely outside the COG leader and information from a
on how receiving
of school activities. Sunil’s sudden passing parent/guardian. the scholarship has
in Fall 2017 shocked and saddened us all, affected him:
and we are committed to keeping alive his The selection process was arduous because
enthusiasm for bringing origami to young all of the applications were from amaz- “When I was notified that I had
people. Supporting a scholarship initiative ing young folders. It was decided that the won the scholarship…I was thrilled!
is just the one way to accomplish this goal. emphasis would be placed on youth who Before I got the scholarship, I didn’t
had never attended a national convention even know that PCOC existed.
Patty was quickly joined by Jan Polish before, other things being equal. The “other Since PCOC I fold more often and
and Shrikant Iyer to form a scholarship things” were factors such as community uploaded four models (three of
committee. Together they worked with the involvement, sharing/teaching origami, my own design) on my YouTube
network of Community Origami Groups and/or creativity shown through folded channel (Allegami). Later I did a
(COGs) to reach out to their young mem- and original models. Finally the recipients show-and-tell of what happened
bers to apply for a scholarship. Within were chosen, and they and their families at PCOC. The class was impressed.”
a short time, 14 impressive applications couldn’t have been more excited. I volun- (Harry Allen, 11 years old, WA, USA)
from across the US were submitted, each teered to be a mentor for the two recipients,

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 Harry Allen,
left, and Alex
Matthews
being
introduced
at the PCOC
2017 Banquet
by Shrikant
Iyer.

Robert Lang, left, Alex

Matthews, middle, and Harry
Char Morrow, Alex Allen at PCOC 2017.
Matthews, Harry
Allen, Wendy
Zeichner, Janet Yelle
folding together — and that was almost everyone at PCOC
at the Thursday — was super impressed, and understands
evening reception,
PCOC 2017.
even better why the future of our origami
community depends on our investment
in our youth. Neither Alex nor Harry had
Alex Matthews from Tennessee, and Harry it can be to check into your room and try ever been to a national convention. They
Allen, from Washington, and their moms, to wrap your mind around signing up for had a chance to meet potential mentors
Tammy Matthews and Laura Allen, who classes, finding classrooms, and navigating — people who have inspired so many of
would be accompanying them. I have been the store. Even though I travel frequently, I us — like Robert Lang, Beth Johnson, or
so lucky to get to know both of these amaz- tend to be confused about these processes Seth Friedman. And the leaders in our
ing families! We communicated regularly myself, so I was especially excited to try to community had a chance to meet these
for over a month before PCOC to make make this easy for our scholarship families. young folders who might be some of our
sure that it would be smooth sailing once It was a great opportunity for me to see the future leaders.
they arrived. When they walked into the convention experience in detail through
hotel in Redondo Beach, CA, we hugged as the eyes of a first timer and to understand Now we need to continue to build a model
if we had known each other for years! how we can keep improving the experience for supporting these young folders all
for everyone. across our community and make sure they
For those of you who have attended a con- stay “in the fold.” Both Alex and Harry are
vention and can remember back to your I believe that everyone who met Alex pretty well connected in the virtual com-
first time, you know how overwhelming and Harry (and Tammy and Laura, too!) munity. For instance, Harry has a You-
Tube channel and Alex has self published a
book and runs a popular local convention
Alex Matthews comments on his experience every year. Their attendance at PCOC,
at the PCOC Banquet: though, demonstrates the power of in-
person interchanges. There is no substi-
“We barely knew each other’s names when the Superhuman Crease Pattern tute for chance encounters in the hallway
Challenge was underway! The object was to determine which two of the or hospitality room between first timers
forty models your table had. Our simple CP looked like a Miura-Ori with some and seasoned veterans. The look of delight
creases reversed; it was revealed to be a snake. Our harder CP, however, was on everyones’ faces speaks volumes!
a different story. After folding the CP for the second or third time, we saw two
ears. The only model with that type of ears was a wolf model. It was amazing Note that OrigamiUSA will be continuing
how many other people knew which models they had! As several individuals our youth scholarship program in some
received well-deserved recognition, the anticipation of the most important form in 2018, and hopefully expand-
announcement steadily trebled: Portland, Oregon, will host its first PCOC in ing it as funds permit. Stay tuned…and
2019!” (Alex Matthews, 15 years old, TN, USA) consider donating to OrigamiUSA to help
support programs such as this one.

Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 9

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Alex Matthews celebrates his first Convention
PCOC Wows
Scholarship Winner
By Alex Matthews (TN)
Every year I joke with my parents about
going on vacation to “place X” (which
always happened to be an origami conven-
tion) for a birthday or their anniversary.
I knew that, probably, I would never get
to attend a convention for many years
because I am the only avid folder in my
family. I was completely unaware that I
would be the scholarship winner and at-
tend the Pacific Coast Origami Conference
(PCOC) 2017 in Los Angeles, CA.
My local community origami group
(COG), Plateau Origami People, a group
of folders in Crossville, TN, concocted
a top-secret plan - a plan to send me to
my first origami convention. When it
was disclosed that I had been chosen by
the scholarship committee, headed by
Shrikant Iyer, as the first PCOC scholar-
ship winner, I had absolutely no idea that
I had even been nominated. That’s when
the whole plot unraveled. My COG had
learned of the scholarship, got my par-
ents’ permission, sent in the nomination,
and sat back to wait for news - without
me knowing a single thing! I’ve got to
give those ladies credit, my powers of
deduction were finally at a loss.
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Stepping through the door into the hotel,
we were met by Char Morrow with wide
open arms ready to help us transition into
the bustling atmosphere of an origami
conference. Char was quick to introduce
us to everyone who happened by at din-
ner. By the time we left, three hours later,
a dozen or more folders had made my
first evening at PCOC a pleasurable expe-
rience. It was the perfect beginning to the
best weekend ever.
Saturday dawned bright and clear, a
perfect day for folding. I was privileged to
be asked to help in the ticketing process!
I love volunteering, so this was fun. We
ticketed over 250 people in less than 30
minutes! I was able to attend Seth Fried-
man’s Cat class. The best part of it was a
short lecture on his design process. During
lunch, I had a delightful, at times comical,
chat with special guest Paul Jackson. Dur-
ing the rest of the afternoon, I took Beth
Johnson’s Squirrel class and Paul Jackson’s
Baseball Cap class. Saturday night, I stayed
up late to fold. It was very rewarding. My
completed rooster is picturesque. Staying
up late to fold - that is the life.
Sunday dawned perfect and heavenly. After
cheerfully eating breakfast, I volunteered
LEFT. Alex Matthews, left, and Paul Jackson
wearing baseball hats made in the class
that Paul taught (Photo: Hank Morris)
MIDDLE. Dollar Bill Rooster folded by Alex
Matthews (Photo: Alex Matthews)
RIGHT. Seth Friedman, left, and Alex
Matthews folding together in the
Hospitality Room (Photo: Tammy Matthews)
in ticketing again. I attended the Dollar
Bill Flower-In-A-Pot class first. The class
was harder than I expected, but with a bit
of help from Sok Song, it looked like the
example model. After lunch, I raced to the
Silent Auction to make sure I would get my
book. I did, but not without a lot of stress
on my part. It was so fun! Everyone jump-
ing around each other, people “borrowing”
pens, and that sigh of joy mixed with relief
when you get that one special item that
you wanted. I finished the convention with
extraordinary classes by Robert Lang, Belle
Fernandez, and Beth Johnson.
The amazing thing about PCOC was that
everyone seemed to know each other, like
a great big family. No matter what table
I sat down at, I was as welcome as I was
anywhere else. Everyone was extremely
helpful, friendly, and ready to lend a help-
ing hand. PCOC is unquestionably some-
thing I would do year after year. Getting
ready for the plane ride home, I had a
feeling of déjà vu. Everyone who walked
by seemed to be someone I knew, talked
to, or folded with. It was a bittersweet
parting, leaving so many new friends,
but the anticipation to see them again is
something I will hold with me until we
meet again at another convention.
Georgia Institute of Technology News
New Software Speeds
Origami Structure Designs*
Georgia Tech researchers
find ways to use Origami
as the structural basis for
real world applications
such as deployable
antennas and bridges.
by Josh Brown
Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology
have developed a new computer-aided approach
that streamlines the design process for origami-
based structures, making it easier for engineers
and scientists to conceptualize new ideas
graphically while simultaneously generating the
underlying mathematical data needed to build
the structure in the real world.
Origami paper folding techniques in recent years
have been at center of research efforts focused
on finding practical engineering applications for
the ancient art, with ideas ranging from deploy-
able antennas to robotic arms.
“Our work provides a means to predict compu-
tationally the real origami behavior of a design
– something that up to now has not been easily
done,” said Glaucio Paulino, a professor in the
Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental
Engineering. “With the new software, we can
easily visualize and, most importantly, engineer
the behavior of deployable, self-assembling, and
adaptable origami systems.”
The research, which was supported by the Na-
tional Science Foundation and reported October
11th in the journal Proceedings of the Royal So-
ciety A, involved building a computer model to
simulate the interaction between the two facets
of a folded sheet, including how easily and how
far the folds would bend and how much the flat
planes would deform during movement.
Once all sections were connected together and
digitally represented a piece of origami, the
model could simulate how the structure would
Distributed to immr (ildarafael@netcabo.pt) from OrigamiUSA (http://origamiusa.org). Please do not redistribute.
Researchers Glaucio Paulino (left) and Ke
Liu with origami structures that can be
simulated in new software. (Credit: Rob
Felt, Georgia Tech)
behave based on what type of material – from
soft paper to hard plastic or metal – would be
used to create the object.
“This type of modeling was possible already
using finite element analysis, but that is a time-
consuming process that could take hours or
days and provides a lot of unnecessary data,”
said Ke Liu, a Georgia Tech graduate student
who worked on the project. “Our new process is
much faster and gives us the underlying data for
how the origami works.”
The software, which is called MERLIN, al-
lows the researchers to simulate how origami
structures will respond to compression forces
from different angles – one at a time or several
simultaneously. The researchers can then quickly
adjust the parameters for the type of material
used or from what angle it is compressed to see
how that would change the behavior of the piece.
For one of their simulations, the researchers
recreated a foldable wine bottle gift bag that uses
a cylindrical shell origami called the Kresling
pattern. When the top of the structure is com-
pressed to a threshold point, sections of the bag
collapse in on themselves in multiple stages.
“The software also allows us to see where the
energy is stored in the structure and better un-
derstand and predict how the objects will bend,
twist and snap,” Paulino said.
An assortment of origami structures
that can be designed in new software.
(Credit: Rob Felt)
Paulino and his team recently designed an ori-
gami structure capable of being reconfigured to
fold into different shapes. The goal was to lay the
groundwork for structures that could eventually
reconfigure themselves, such as an antenna that
could change its shape and operate at different
frequencies.
“With this new design approach, we’re able to get
insight with every iteration of the design, which
will guide our design choices and ultimately give
us more power to fine-tune these structures,”
Paulino said.
The software will be provided free for other
researchers to use and will be used as an
educational tool for undergraduate students at
Georgia Tech.
*This research was partially supported by the
National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant
CMMI-1538830, the China Scholarship Council
(CSC), and the Raymond Allen Jones Chair at the
Georgia Institute of Technology. The content is solely
the responsibility of the authors and does not neces-
sarily represent the official views of those organiza-
tions. Reprinted with permission from Georgia Tech
Research “Horizons”.
Citation: K. Liu, G. H. Paulino, “Nonlinear Mechan-
ics of Non-Rigid Origami: An Efficient Computa-
tional Approach,” (Proceedings of the Royal Society
A, 2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2017.0348
Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 11
ObituAry: Mark Kennedy (1950-2018)

The Lord of
the Pins
Mark W. Kennedy, of South Whitehall Twp., PA, ABOVE. Mark, Arlene and Jacob Gorchov,
passed away on February 18, 2018. Born on March circa 1991 (Courtesy of G. Gorchov)
BELOW. Mark and his wife Arlene Gorchov
14, 1950 in Detroit, Mark was a widely known (Courtesy of Brian Kolins)
figure in the international origami community.
He was beloved for his humor and generosity.

He and his wife Arlene founded Lehigh Valley

Origami Enthusiasts at their home 25 years ago,
where they built a community around their love
of origami. Mark will forever be remembered
for his warmth, generosity and humor.

Mark Kennedy will be remembered for his wonderful teaching, great sense of humor Begun in 1995, the Michael Shall Volunteer
and those beautiful glossy origami pins and magnets. (Photo by Susan Dugan) Recognition Award is given to specific dedi-
cated volunteers for extraordinary service to
OrigamiUSA, in the spirit of Michael’s volun-
teerism. Michael believed that "origami is for
anyone, anywhere, any time!" and the best way
to spread the joy of origami was by volunteer-
ing. Mark was a volunteer, a teacher and an
ambassador for OrigamiUSA. The Board of
Directors was pleased to give him the Michael
Shall Volunteer Recognition Award in 2018
Lillian Oppenheimer and Mark Mark Kennedy during the 50th anniversary shortly before he passed away. The Board is
Kennedy in New York (circa 1987. of the British Origami Society Stratford- deeply saddened by his loss. This tribute was
Photo courtesy of Robin Macey) Upon-Avon, 2017. (Photo by Robin Macey). read to Mark during his last days.

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 2018 Michael Shall Volunteer Recognition Award
honoring
Mark Kennedy is known around the world for his
indomitable enthusiasm for origami and generous
spirit. Almost everyone who has met him in person is
the proud owner of one of his glossy folded pins for
which he is so famous, many given gratis by Mark as
a sign of origami community friendship. Mark and
his wife, Arlene Gorchov, have been a link especially
between European and American folders. They love
traveling to overseas conventions, where they found
and shared so many new models, books and papers,
and even more importantly, new friends. They also
have gone out of their way to welcome foreign
visitors to the US, including those arriving in New
York for OrigamiUSA Annual Convention. In addition
to picking visitors up at the airport, and making sure
they get settled in properly and know where to eat,
Mark and Arlene have regularly invited international
visitors and many, many others, to their home after
convention for an event that has come to be known as
“Fold and Feed.”
Mark teaching at MFPP's Les Recontres
de Mai, France, 2014.
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Mark Kennedy
Mark is a lifelong paperfolder, having discovered
origami when he was watching a TV show as a child
and fell in love with it. As he folded and increased his
personal skills, he found that he loved to share his
origami world. Eventually he met Lillian Oppenheimer
and joined her regular get-togethers where he met
fanatical folders of all sorts --- creators and passionate
origami artists. It became clear that he had an amazing
ability to remember almost every model he learned (as
well as every joke), which gave him a certain freedom
when teaching to combine comedy and charm with the
clear recital of steps. He was definitely a teacher in
the tradition of Michael Shall, and was eager to teach
anyone and everyone. Mark was one of the earliest
members of The Friends of The Origami Center of
America, OrigamiUSA’s predecessor. He treasured his
time at Lillian’s monthly sessions so much that when
the opportunity came along to facilitate the Folding
Sundays at the American Museum of Natural History,
he considered it an honor. Mark and Arlene continue to
facilitate Folding Sundays to this day.
Mark has served in other official capacities for
OrigamiUSA, including being on the Board of
Directors from 1990 to 1996 and co-chairing the
Business Committee. As such he reviewed new
books and papers, and brought many new items
to the committee’s attention. He taught at every
Annual Convention, every Pacific Coast OrigamiUSA
Convention, many Special Sessions and various other
conventions in the US and abroad. Mark and Arlene
established a community origami group in their home
area, and their twice-yearly “Fold and Feed” events
at their Pennsylvania home are warm, casual, intense,
supportive environments for new and experienced
folders. Mark sells his pins and magnets, but is far
more likely to give them away. He has high regard for
the rights of creators, and has formed strong bonds
with many of them. Underlying it all, he has always
spread his love of origami. He gives generously of his
time, whether for help needed in any way or to teach.
In 2007 Mark was honored with the OrigamiUSA
Ranana Benjamin Award for Teaching.
For all of these reasons, the OrigamiUSA Board
of Directors has voted to give Mark Kennedy
the Michael Shall Volunteer Recognition
Award, our highest honor.
Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 13
 DIAGRAM | DAMIAN MALICKI

Bird
HIGH INTERMEDIATE

Recomended paper size: 30 x 30 cm

Model and Diagrams © Damian Malicki,

Poland

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 Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 15

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DIAGRAM | DAMIAN MALICKI

16 The PAPER | Winter/Spring 2018

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 Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 17

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Origami in Science, Math, and Education Meeting
7OSME
4th to 7 th September 2018
The 7th International
Meeting on Origami in
Science, Mathematics, and
Education (7OSME) will
take place in Oxford, United
Kingdom between 5th
and 7th September 2018.
Mark Bolitho
The conference will take place across
three sites within Oxford University,
including St. Anne’s college, The Maths
Institute and the School of Engineering.
The 7OSME conference will be followed
by the British Origami Society’s autumn
convention in the same venue (7th to 9th
September 2018).
7OSME is an academic conference that
explores the interactions amongst origa-
mi, mathematics, science, and education.
This year’s event will be the seventh in a
series of conferences held every four years
since 1989, when the first International
Meeting of Origami Science and Technol-
ogy, was held in Ferrara, Italy.
Since 1989 the OSME conference has
been held in different locations around
SATTELITE
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DNA
the world. In December 2014, a group
from the UK made a successful bid to
host the 2018 OSME in Oxford university,
beating five other international proposals
to hold the event. The previous OSME
event was held in Tokyo in 2014 and
had an attendance of around 300 people
interested in, or involved with, applied
origami research. The Oxford event is
the first time that OSME will be held in
the UK, and only the second time that the
event will be held in Europe. Previous
OSMEs have been held in Japan, USA,
and Singapore.
Origami is generally associated with fold-
ing paper as an artistic pursuit. However,
from this craft base there has been a
growing appreciation of the process of
folding and its application. Origami is
increasingly being used in the classroom
to explain various geometric principles
and mathematical ideas. At a higher
level, origami mathematicians are looking
at the science behind the folding process.
Areas of research include, developing a
mathematical language to describe the
folding process, the foldability of origami
patterns and surfaces, and the develop-
ment of folding algorithms.
Engineers are researching traditional
geometry and folding and its application
to the development of new structures
and materials. The research area looks
to develop objects that can transform by
folding. This may involve the transfor-
mation of a smaller object to a larger one.
This is being applied to development of
space satellites, medical devices, and the
enhancement of the strength of materials
by incorporating folding in its design.
The three-day conference will be com-
prised of presentations made by par-
ticipants. These will be presented and
published as papers. The process for
selecting these talks is underway and we
have received more than 200 proposals
for presentations across the core areas
of the conference, Engineering, Maths,
Education, Art and Design and History.
The final selection process will involve a
peer review, with selected papers being
published in the book Origami 7.
7OSME will bring together researchers
and interested parties from around the
world and we are expecting around 300
attendees, with a high level of attendance
from Japan. The event has funding sup-
port from various Anglo-Japanese groups.
Previous OSME conferences have created
a local legacy, and the Tokyo conference
resulted in a series of bi-annual meetings
where researchers could exchange ideas
and collaborate. There are plans to create
a continued European legacy beyond the
conference.
The BOS autumn convention will take
place on the weekend following on from
7OSME. This convention will be a two-
day programme of folding classes.
Registration for the event is open.
More information and registration:
http://osme.info/7osme/
Obituary
Life is Beautiful
A Tribute to “Yami” Yamauchi
Yami charming a crowd at Descanso
Gardens while folding a box with his pre-
creased paper and acrylic block. Perhaps a
Yami-ism is making them all smile, “That’s
your problem. Take your time, and hurry
up!” He also used to say that to do origami
you need “two hands, two eyes, two ears,
and NO mouth.” It turns out, we did need
our mouths to smile, laugh, ooo and aaah
as Yami spread the magic of origami.
(Photograph by Kazuyoshi Ito, 2013)
Simple spinners bring so much fun:
Yami’s Origami Spinning Top (top)
and Little Blow Top (bottom)
(Photograph by Hisako Tanji, 2018)
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Yoichi "Yami" Yamauchi died on December 25, 2017
in Torrance, California at the age of 81. His health had
been declining for some time and he passed away
peacefully. OrigamiUSA pays homage to a man who
so charmingly embodied the spirit of paperfolding.
By Michael Sanders with
contributions from Patricia
Grodner and Chikako Yamauchi.
Yoichi “Yami” Yamauchi’s infectious per-
sonality could awaken the child within us
all; even grown adults.
My first recollection of Yami Yamauchi
is in December of 2003. I had been given
space at the Japan Expo in Los Angeles.
During the event, Yami stumbled upon my
booth. I knew of him from being involved
with the Westcoast Origami Guild, which I
joined the previous year. But I didn’t really
know him all that well, yet.
He sat down and asked how I had acquired
the booth. He folded a David Brill book
and a Christmas tree for me while we
talked. Sometime shortly after this, we
began working together at cultural festivals
and events, along with our friend Joe
Hamamoto. The three of us were the Three
Origamigos. I’d often get asked if Yami was
my dad. So I started joking around, “No,
that’s my son, Yami; and that’s my other
son Joe (who’s about 10 years older than
Yami). Yami seemed to really enjoy this
and often called me Dad, even when there
was no one else around to impress.
Yami and Joe became my mentors. When
I first came to the realization that there was
such a thing as modern origami designs,
I delved into the complex and super-com-
plex. Montroll, Lang, Kamiya—these were
the artists whose models excited me. But
Yami and Joe brought me back to appreci-
ating the joys of action models; the beauty
of simplicity; the peace of paper and the
power it had in delighting young and old.
They were magicians of the heart and their
medium was paper. Above all else, by be-
friending and collaborating with these two
happy peace warriors, I learned to appreci-
ate the art of having a generous spirit.
Yami and Joe are generous to a fault: Giv-
ing of their models, giving of their time,
giving of their knowledge. I was always
trying to figure out a way to profit. To
make sure we received fair compensation
for our time and efforts (when it mat-
tered); and that they were not being taken
advantage of by those unappreciative of
their talents and of the art of origami.
Yami invested in anything that he thought
would bring joy and happiness in the mo-
ment; and seldom asked for anything in
return. One of his favorite models to teach
the public is the traditional Thai tulip with
leaf and stem. He would buy boxloads of
clay pots and freely hand those out so that
people had something in which to display
their folded Thai tulip.
Yami had a couple of die made of cer-
tain models in order to stamp the crease
pattern onto cardstock paper. This made
more advanced models readily accessible
to novice folders, to draw them into the
magic world of paperfolding.
Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 19
Obituary

Yami’s aim was to bring happiness into
people’s lives; and origami was merely
one vehicle through which he could
accomplish this task. Above all else, he
loved to joke and entertain.
these non-origami toys; and then after
showing people how it works, he’d give
them their own to keep. And ask nothing
back in return. The smiles and laughter
of others were his compensation.

He went through a phase where he de-
lighted in a trick he learned from magi-
cian Lennart Green. He would buy clear
plastic cups, hide one under his armpit,
then go shake someone’s hand. As soon
as he clasped the person’s hand, he’d
wince as though his hand were being
crushed as the sound of the plastic cup
crackled. Reactions were often hilarious.
He also went through another phase
where he discovered chain rings that he
could make cascade endlessly, reminis-
cent of Jacob’s ladder (another clever toy,
of which Yami designed a paper ver-
sion). Before this, he also had discovered
a trick he’d do with a single ring on a
chain. The challenge was to make the
ring connect to the chain by holding the
chain and flipping the ring onto it. He’d
walk around with this prop around his
neck, like a necklace. All for the sake of
taking it off to show his trick. Being the
generous person that he was, I remem-
ber him buying material for both of
Yami told me that he didn’t grow up
doing much origami as a kid. It only
became one of his passions later in life
when in 1986 he was grief-stricken by
the sudden loss of his son in a sport-
ing accident. He had given his two kids
origami paper and a book when they
Standing room only to fold tulips with
went off to school, thinking it would Yami at Chinese American Museum’s
remind them of their cultural heritage. Lantern Festival, Los Angeles (Photograph
After his son died, he learned that his by Michael Sanders, 2007)
son had developed a strong passion for
folding paper. Yami came to adopt his
son’s hobby; and it became a therapeutic
means of healing himself. Yami wrote
about folding himself from grief to joy in
his book Yami’s Origami: First Steps to a
Thousand Paper Cranes.
After a period of time, Yami went
beyond folding pre-existing works and
matured into creating his own designs;
this included introducing his Fireworks Once you solve the mystery of how to
fold Yami’s Pandora’s Box, you can give
model, a big hit at the OrigamiUSA it to someone to solve the mystery of
Convention in 1998. Since then, he how to open it (Photograph by Hisako
has had a number of original designs Tanji, 2018)

published in books and origami maga-

In his Memory zines (including his 1998 book Yami’s
Origami). He has given permission to
Yami told his daughter that attending OrigamiUSA conventions made others without restraint to share his
him “happy like a puppy.” Donations in memory of Yami can be made to work. A number of his models are easily
OrigamiUSA. Yami’s family approves of OrigamiUSA’s decision to use the found throughout YouTube tutorials and
donations for a scholarship fund to bring to future conventions aspiring on various sites. None of them captures
folders, both the young and young at heart. As Yami aptly wrote in his the charm, though, in how he himself
book, “As I saw the children fold their own paper models I could see the would personally and personably teach
future of the world in their hands.” Donations are tax deductible and need people. His method always injected hu-
to be earmarked “In Memory of Yami” (in the comments section for online mor; and sometimes an acerbic wit.
donations or on the memo line of physical checks). OrigamiUSA is a nonprofit
organization; its recent 990s can be found here: Some of the best times I’ve had on this
http://990finder.foundationcenter.org/990results.aspx?action=Find&fn=o earth have been in the presence of Yami
rigami+usa&st=NY&ei= and Joe. Whether it’s officially teach-
ing origami at an event; or unofficially
Requests for permission regarding Yami’s origami models, materials for which
still doing origami at a restaurant and
he was the copyright holder, and other intellectual property can continue to
providing free entertainment to its
be sent to yamiyamauchi@hotmail.com
patrons, I will always treasure the decade
Even though Yami was a public figure in the origami world, please respect of folding fun that I had with these two.
the privacy of his family. Condolences and your favorite But the only permanence in this life, is
Yami stories can be posted on Yami’s Facebook wall. change. “It was good while it lasted.” Joe
sometimes tells me.

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ABOVE. Yami’s origami homage to the
traditional toy Jacob’s Ladder (top)
and the Magic Wallet (bottom) that can
make money move but not multiply
(Photograph by Hisako Tanji, 2018)
RIGHT. Yami’s playful Doodlebug (right),
made from index cards, dances around
Yami’s famous Fireworks (top left)
(Photograph by Hisako Tanji, 2018)
Yami and his favorite tulips at
SuihoEn Japanese Garden in Van Nuys
(Photograph by Michael Sanders, 2009)
Joe, who is older, was the first to “retire”
from working festivals with us. His con-
stitution just could not handle the long
hours and travel time, anymore. But at
home, he is still folding away—a veritable
one-man factory at producing elaborate
modulars which he freely gives away.
The last year Yami and I worked
together was 2015, along with Mike
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“As I saw the children fold their own paper models
I could see the future of the world in their hands.”
and Yukie Partos. This was the Des-
canso Gardens annual Cherry Blossom
Festival. Huge, non-stop crowds. Yami
passed the torch on to me for this event,
sensing his health beginning to de-
cline. I could tell, much like Joe, he had
started slowing down.
Yami passed away peaceably on Decem-
ber 25, 2017. He had enjoyed one last
visit from his beautiful daughter before
he left us.
Yami will be greatly missed by us all. In-
stead of mourning his loss, however, I am
convinced he would want us to celebrate
his life; and dwell on the fun times and the
goodness he spread throughout the world;
and for us who knew him, to find com-
fort in our times of grief, as he did, in the
simple act of folding the peace of paper
we hold in our hands. For ourselves. For
others. Be generous to the world. “Life is
beautiful,” Yami would say.
Twenty years ago, in his book, he wrote:
I had lost one child. But here be-
fore me I had gained hundreds who
watched and learned from me with
eager, glowing faces.
All of this, I had found through the
magic of origami. Origami transcends
language. It gives peace and is full of
the symbolic language of peace.
It [the book Yami’s Origami] is part
of my gift to give in return for a gift I
have received in immeasurable quanti-
ties. I dedicate it, with a small prayer
for my son, who I sense is alive some-
where in all of this wonderful magic.
Yami attended many OrigamiUSA conven-
tions when living in the NY area. You nev-
er had to look hard to find him as he was
always at the table with the most people
gathered around. After he moved to Cali-
fornia, his spirit was so missed at the con-
ventions. OrigamiUSA decided to sponsor
Yami to come to convention one year. He
was very touched by this gesture and made
the most of every minute. In 2006, Yami
was given the Ranana Benjamin Award by
OrigamiUSA, recognizing his contribu-
tions as a teacher—especially to children
(aren’t we all children at heart?).
Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 21
 DIAGRAM | Julian rodriguez

Manta Ray
HIGH INTERMEDIATE

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 Text and Diagrams © Julian Rodríguez (Florida, USA. 2017)

Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 23

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DIAGRAM | Julian rodriguez

24 The PAPER | Winter/Spring 2018

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 Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 25

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College student, Ryan Dong’s, paperfolding thesis

A+ in Origami
Book Design
As someone who didn’t find an origami Among the various theses presented in December 2017 by
community until his late teens, Ryan Dong
wanted to produce a book that not only
the City University of New York (CUNY) Electronic Design
teaches, but also engages the reader into & Multimedia undergraduate students, an origami book
the world of paperfolding.
project by Ryan Dong received much praise and attention.
“I didn’t want to make a book that was just It is always very encouraging to know that origami can be
a collection of origami diagrams. I wanted
to make the process of folding paper more
represented at the university level. The Paper wanted to
personal, relatable, and fun”, he said. Origi- learn more about the process that Ryan followed for his
nally from China, Ryan started teaching
himself through books at a young age, but
project: “Origami: One Sheet, Two Colors”.
only when he moved to New York City did
he finally find a group of folders (Origami
Meetup Group or OMG) that helped him
improve his folding and design his own
models.

Hence, it is not surprising that when Ryan

had to find a topic for his undergrad thesis,
he chose origami. “Everyone in the thesis
class were doing different projects, some ABOVE. Ryan Dong's project display appears at the far right of the exhibition at CUNY
relied on animation, others on brand- Robinson Center
ing or app design.” Ryan, instead, chose BELOW. A view of the display at CUNY Robinson Center.
publishing as he already had the book idea
in mind. During the summer of 2017 he
wrote the proposal and in December he
was ready to showcase the elements of his
project – which included posters and the
book – during the Thesis Exhibition at
CUNY's Robinson Center.

Ryan's focus was on design. He wanted to

avoid the pitfalls and inconsistencies that
are usually found in Convention books. He
also analyzed the layout and typography
of relevant books like the Nicolas Terry
series, and Spiral by Tomoko Fuse.

He liked the quality of vector illustra-

tions in Drawing Origami by Nicolas
Terry. “Although the artwork is digital,
the illustrations look more like they were

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Ryan Dong's bunny holding the book.
hand-drawn,” he explained. As for Spiral,
he said “It beautifully combines flat illus-
tration with photographs.” He also praised
the selection of sans-serif type that gives
“a sense of elegance and peacefulness.”
He noted that both sources use a thick
directional “ribbon” for each diagram
background and decided to take a similar
approach for his own book: “pairing high
quality photographs with flat diagrams
and using a Eurostile font for the cover
and sans-serif for the body.”
Last but not least, he looked for inspi-
ration in the works of Eric Joisel and
Román Díaz. “I always try to add the
color change technique in my models like
Díaz does.” He also wanted to instill in
his own models “the emotion and move-
ment” of Joisel's style.
What really makes Ryan’s book special
and different is the amount of detail that
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he put in for the readers' sake to make
the book more friendly and interesting
to folders of all levels. Each diagram is
“connected” by that brightly colored rib-
bon that runs behind the diagram's steps
in order. While it may seem like a small
thing to add, it works at a subliminal lev-
el, linking the readers with paperfolding.
Type fonts also play an interesting role
in Ryan’s book. Each page of the book
features an origami influenced typeface
with a decorative element continuing
to the next page. Many origami-based
typefaces use cutout blocks which can’t
actually be folded using just one sheet of
paper. Instead, his typeface can actually
be folded if the reader takes a strip of
paper and follows the illustrations. This
origami typeface font is the main display
type element in the book and visually
unifies each chapter. The title of the book
also uses this original origami font.
ABOVE. Work pages showing the
typography created for the book
LEFT. Page samples of the book.
The visual unity throughout each chapter
comes from the vivid colors that are used
to differentiate between models and dif-
ferent sections of the book. Each diagram
is completed with a picture of the model
folded by Ryan Dong and a crease pattern.
Even before he put his book into produc-
tion, Ryan already knew exactly what
he wanted to do with it. He had a very
specific vision for his project, and his fi-
nal product reflects this careful planning.
Instead of a classic rectangular shape, the
book is square, about 8.5 inches (21.6 cm)
on each side.
The thesis portfolio included promotion-
al posters, stickers, and a full copy of his
book. Each piece was carefully displayed
at the Robinson Center's exhibition.
It is clear that this project meant more to
Ryan than just an assignment. He ordered
a few copies out of his pocket, but the real
book has yet to see the light. While he
continues looking for a publisher, he ex-
plained, “I don’t want it to be just a good
thesis project. I want to see a commercial
success of this book. It has also been a
great gift for my origami friends, who
have encouraged me all along.”
Text: based on Ryan Dong's thesis with
contributions by Maxwell Jones. Photos
courtesy of Ryan Dong.
Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 27
Architectural Teachings - Bauhaus Style

A Paperfolding Trove Hidden

in the New England Woodlands
The exploratory studies of Josef Albers' students in Germany and the United States have long
been of interest to paperfolders, especially the 3D curve-creased forms, fans and paraboloids.
Many are carefully stored at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Connecticut.
During a recent visit to the Foundation, I had a rare opportunity to see them all.

FAR LEFT. Various

corrugations and
tesselations made
and presented by Fritz
Hortsman during his
workshop at MoMA in
June, 2017.

LEFT. Mantel designed

by Josef Albers inpired
by his research on paper
corrugation.

NEXT PAGE. Works on

paper made by students
of Josef Albers at Yale
University in the 1970's.
Students were challenged
to fold a piece of paper so
that the final model would
stand on its own. They
also practiced tesselations
and corrugation.

by Laura Rozenberg
(text and photos)
Fritz Hortsman, artist residency and edu-
cation coordinator at the Josef and Anni
Albers Foundation of the United States,
delivered a workshop on the teachings
of Josef Albers last year at MoMA. The
course was aimed at the general public
who worked, played and tested the effects
of folding paper based on Albers' teaching
method.
Unfortunately I was not in New York
at that time, as I would have loved to
participate. But in November, during a
brief trip to the United States, I contacted
Hortsman and he kindly invited me to
visit the Albers Foundation to talk about
his workshop experience.
Not only was the conversation interesting,
but he opened before my eyes a small col-
lection of paper constructions that Albers'
students created during the courses he
taught at Yale University in the 1970's.
There were about 16 pieces stored in ar-
chival boxes. Their state of conservation is
good with some models showing signs of
foxing (brown stains). Some photos I took
accompany this note.
There were fanlike foldings and curved-
creased constructions of various types.
I did not see the paraboloid which has
been documented as the earliest known
reference of curved-crease sculpture,
made by a student at the Bauhaus dur-
ing Albers' preliminary course in paper
study in 1927. (Probably it does not exist
anymore, although there is a picture in a
book by Hans Wingler. See references.)
When the Bauhaus, the first school of
design in the world and a modernist
beacon of the 20th century, was forced to
shut down with the advance of Nazism,
Albers emigrated to the United States
with his wife Anni. He continued teach-
ing at Black Mountain College in North
Carolina and later at Yale University. One
way to introduce students to construction
and aesthetic thinking was through paper.
Albers proposed exercises that were both

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 simple and thoughtful; the student had to
discover, based on a few guidelines –for
example, "make a single fold and make the
paper stand on the table," “find the most
interesting shadows” or the “most aes-
thetically pleasing.” These restrictions (as
any paperfolder would know well today),
instead of limiting, seemed to stimulate
their creativity.

“While seemingly limiting, Albers’s con-

trol over the circumstances of his classes
actually led to increased experimenta-
tion and creativity among his students.
As one scholar has pointed out, “. . . the
works created in Albers’s preliminary
course reveal a variety that demonstrate .
. . namely, that for creative people, despite
external restrictions – which are, of course
primarily pedagogically mo-
tivated here . . . the number
of possible solutions is almost
unlimited,” wrote Ester Adler
in her thesis “A New Unity!
The Art and Pedagogy of
Josef Albers.”

Albers went down in history

as an artist (he excelled in
painting, wood and glass) but
he was also an innate teacher.
“I think he really loved being
among students. In all of his
art and in all of his teaching it
is evident the two are inextri-
cable,” Hortsman said.

The Albers Foundation,

located in Bethany, Con-
necticut, almost hidden down a road and
into the woods, is devoted to preserving
the memory and work of Anni and Josef.
I am very grateful to Fritz Hortsman for
the wonderful opportunity he gave me to
visit the foundation and take these photo-
graphs. For me it was an experience that
will always live in my memories.
To learn more:
a) Josef and Anni Albers Foundation: www.
albersfoundation.org
b) “A New Unity!” The Art and Pedagogy of
Josef Albers, by Ester Adler (thesis): drum.lib.
umd.edu
c) History of Curved Origami Sculpture, by
Erik and Martin Demaine: erikdemaine.org/
curved/history
d) “Bauhaus: Weimar, Dessau, Berlin, Chi-
cago” by Hans M. Wingler. MIT Press, 1969
and 1978.

Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 29

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BOOK REVIEWS
A Tribute to David Lister
A tribute to David Lister. by Nick Robinson.
British Origami Society.
Available at The Source: $37.50
Review by Patsy Wang-Iverson
A book with glossy pages and crisp
colors, obviously compiled with love,
A Tribute to David Lister is not a book
of origami models, although it does
contain diagrams for the one model
David Lister created and an excerpt
of instructions for the lover's knot
from Robert Harbin's Paper Magic.
Rather, it is an homage to a man
who played a vitally important role
in researching the history of paper
folding.
For those of us who never had the
opportunity to meet David Lister
in the flesh – though we may have
had the pleasure and privilege of
communicating with him via email
and reading his Lister List – Nick
Robinson’s compilation, A Tribute
to David Lister, offers an intriguing
glimpse into a man who had a life
long love of and was an avid and
precise historian of paper folding.
Introduced to paper folding at
the age of three, David Lister's
fascination with paper folding,
LEFT. Part of David
Lister's extensive
library on paper
folding.
RIGHT. David
Liser and Lillian
Oppenheimer,
1990.
30 The PAPER | Winter/Spring 2018
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which appeared magical to him,
only intensified with age, leading
him to become recognized as the
most knowledgeable historian of
paper folding, who would respond
thoughtfully and in depth to all
questions he received.
The book contains an array of
perspectives on and by David Lister:
• Fond reminiscences by friends who
knew him for 50 years,
• A brief but fascinating
autobiography,
• His family’s perspective,
• His own memories of earlier giants
in paper folding,
• A sampling of his correspondence
with people from around the world,
• His writings on a wide range of
origami topics
• Diagrams by Nick Robinson for
his one creation, Four Thirsty
Birds (named by Florence Temko)
accompanied by his two page critique
of the diagrams
Interspersed among the text is
a treasure trove of photographs
of nostalgic and historical value,
including four pages of photos of his
library, which may humble even the
most obsessed collector of books on
paper folding.
David Lister was not only a serious
student of the history of paper
folding, he made history as well – as
a founding member of the British
Origami Society, which celebrated its
50th anniversary in September, 2017.
In this role, Lister rubbed elbows
with luminaries of paper folding from
other countries, as documented by
many photographs found throughout
the book.
As a sample of Lister's writing, there
is an article he authored in 1999 that
everyone should read: “Is it correct to
call origami a Japanese art?” Rather
than summarizing Lister’s strong
views on this topic, we leave it to
the reader to find out (pp. 46-47).
Everyone new to origami should read
these pages.
Mick Guy captures succinctly the
importance of David Lister to the
world of paper folding: “We are very
grateful that he chose origami as one
of his interests.”
A Tribute to David Lister is available at
The Source of OrigamiUSA.
News from The Source
New Books TWISTS, TILINGS
Hello from
AND TESSELLATIONS The Source,
Members receive a discount.
Check the website for the complete Author: Lang
list of prices. January brought
Explore the geometric and mathematical about a big
forms of non- change to The
representational Source. Heidi
ANIMAL ORIGAMI
origami, especially Lenney (that’s me) took over as
Origami Land + tessellations. The manager for The Source. Since
Author: Kawahata book has information then, I have been busy learning
for those with basic, the ropes of what it takes to fill the
32 animal models intermediate, and very big and busy shoes left by the
from single squares. advanced levels of math Hamiltons. I hope I can continue to
Models start with to learn how to fold bring the variety of books, papers,
simpler animal faces mathematically. Expand and products that have made The
that creatively use the your knowledge about angles, algebra, Source a wonderful place to shop
coloring on both sides trigonometry, geometry, linear algebra, for your origami needs.
of the paper (Dog, Cat, vectors, and operators to understand how
Red Panda, etc.), then to reproduce patterns and create original If you haven’t visited the website
moves on to intermediate models (Tiger models. Chapter topics include Vertices, since the last issue, let me
Face, Giraffe, Lion, Aardvark, Moose, etc.), Periodicity, Simple Twists, Twist Tiles, introduce you to three new books
then advanced models (Boar, Bison, Gorilla, Tilings, Primal-Dual Tessellations, Rigid along with a black and white paper
Japanese Monkey, etc.), and finally complex Foldability Spherical Vertices, 3D Analysis, pack that have been added to the
models (Racoon, Kangaroo, Deer). Clear Rotational Solids.
inventory. In addition, the website
color diagrams with full color photos of 736 pp PB (I-C) #B18-101 | $60.00 has over 175 books and 212
finished models and a pictorial table of variety of papers in the inventory.
contents. In Japanese. One can definitely find some hidden
128 pp.PB. (LI-C) #B17-132| $21.00 gems for your individual collection.
New Papers Heidi Lenney
DINOSAUR ORIGAMI BLACK AND WHITE GEOMETRIC
Origami Land + MEGA PACK
Author: Kawahata
27 dinosaur models. 16 different black
Models start with and white geometric
simpler models patterns with a white
(Supersaurus, reverse. Paper is thin
Velociraptor, Maiasaura, and smooth-textured
etc.), then moves on both sides. Patterns
on to intermediate include dots, checks,
models (Diplodocus, gingham, houndstooth,
Triceratops, stripes, zigzags, and some fancy swirls.
Tyrannosaurus, etc.), then advanced The high-contrast designs look great on
models (Stegosaurus, Spinosaurus, many models and are very interesting when
Giganotosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Skull, etc.), combined on modulars, boxes, stars, ATCs,
and finally complex models (Ichthyosaurus, etc. or when used in combination with solid
Arhaeopteryx, Pteranodon, etc.). Clear color colored papers.
diagrams with full color photos of finished
6” squares | 200 sheets | P06-7286 | $10.00
models and a pictorial table of contents.
In Japanese.

128 pp.PB. (LI-C) #B17-133 | $21.00

Winter/Spring 2018 | The PAPER 31

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Origami Connect Classes
Origami Connect hosts online classes you can take via the
web from anywhere in the world!
Origami Connect classes are taught in two groups, Spring
and Fall, with individual classes happening approximately
monthly. See the class listing for the complete schedule.
You do not need to be a member of OrigamiUSA to attend
Origami Connect classes.
Live class size is limited to the first 100 registrants. All
registrants will receive a link to the tape recording of the
live event. Register early! Registration for each event closes
five days prior to the event.
Presenters are volunteers donating their time and talent to
share the joy of origami and connect folders everywhere.
Please support us to help us keep this program affordable
and accessible to as many folders as possible!
Register here: https://origamiusa.org/connect
Singing Fish
Season: Winter/Spring
Date and Time: Sunday, May 20, 2018,
3:00 pm to 5:00 pm EDT
Level: Low Intermediate
Presenter: Gilad Aharoni
Gilad Aharoni has been folding and
accumulating origami books for over 30
years. At some point, he started making
lists of what's inside his books, but new books kept on coming and he
never stopped. Those lists are now available for all to search at http://
www.giladorigami.com Along the way, Gilad has also designed a few
of his own models. He'll teach one of his first and favorite designs: The
Singing Fish - a fun action models from a $ bill. He will also talk about his
database and website, and how he owes his current livelihood to origami.
Materials needed: Please have a US dollar bill ready, or any longish
rectangle of any kind of paper.

GLOBAL EVENTS CALENDAR Special Folding

April, 2018 Fun Sessions
4th Italian Origami and Didactics Convention | April 13–15, 2018 |
Senigallia (AN), Italy Special Folding Fun Sessions are origami
Spanish Convention XXI | April 28–May 1, 2018 | Alcalá de Henares, Spain classes held at the American Museum of
Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in
May, 2018 the School Lunchrooms. You may register
Recontres de Mai - French Convention | May 10–13, 2018 | Aix-en-Bains by phone at 212-769-5635 or online.
(France)
8th Origami Tanteidan Kyushu Convention | May 26–27, 2018 | Saga City, Here is a description of what you can
Saga Prefecture (Japan) expect to learn at a Special Folding Fun
Session. For more information, visit:
June, 2018 origamiusa.org/files/
Origami Tsunami | June 8, 2018 | Crossville, TN (USA) specialsessions_2018_spring.pdf
Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robotics (ReMaR) | June 20–22, 2018 |
Delft, The Netherlands The next events will be held on the following dates:
OrigamiUSA 2018 Convention | June 22–25, 2018 | St. John's University Sunday, April 15, 2018
in Queens, New York Sunday, May 20, 2018

July, 2018
Polish Origami Association (Polskie Towarzystwo Origami) | July 20–22, Modular
wreaths
2018 | Piła, Poland
and rings
taught by
August, 2018 Mary Ann
Centerfold 2018 | August 10–12, 2018 | Columbus, OH, (USA) Scheblein-
Dawson
September, 2018
7OSME+BOS Summer Convention | September 5–7, 2018 | Oxford
University, Oxford, UK

For more information about joining OrigamiUSA,

please go to our website at www.origamiusa.org
15 West 77th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192

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International Folders - ITALY

Riccardo Foschi's
definition of Origami
Origami is an art, a technique and
a science; a puzzle to solve, a lan-
guage that connects people of differ-
ent cultures; it’s a bunch of complex
mathematical theorems for professors,
but it’s also a game for children; it’s a
relaxing activity, but it’s also very frus-
trating sometimes; it needs patience
and precision, but try to ask about
precision to Victor Coeurjoly and see if
he agrees; origami starts from a square
sheet, but not always; with origami
you fold every subject, but actually you
can’t; origami is when you fold paper,
but also metal, plastic, wood, rubber,
dehydrated seaweeds (I swear I did It
once!); in origami you can’t use “cuts”,
but in traditional origami they used
cuts a lot! Therefore, origami for me is
a contradictory kaleidoscope of arts,
techniques, materials, constructions,
geometric figures and everything,
which have only one common factor:
the “fold”.

For more about Riccardo Foschi, read the

interview by Ilan Garibi in The Fold:
origamiusa.org/thefold/article/origami-
designers-secrets-riccardo-foschi
Riccardo Foschi's flickr site: www.flickr.
com/photos/125441466@N02/

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For Tovi Wen, 14, CPs took him to new levels

It’s All About

the Crease Patterns
by Maxwell Jones
(VA)

While most 14 year olds are playing video games, 14 year old
Tovi Wen is designing super-complex lobsters and crabs in his
room. Tovi is in 8th grade and goes to Hunter College High
School. He loves math as well as origami and also enjoys com-
petition math in his free time. He has been going to the Origa-
miUSA Conventions since he was seven and though he may be
younger than many of the people he folds with, he makes up for
it in knowledge.
One of the main reasons Tovi was able to advance to such a high
level is his unique experiences in learning. He started out trying
crease patterns only a few years after starting origami instead
Riccardo’s Fact Sheet
Tovi’s First book: The Complete Book of Origami by
Robert Lang
Favorite designer: Shuki Kato
His recommended paper to use: Start with Kami, foil
paper for shaping, big foil for complex test folding, and
Ogami for models.
A good crease pattern to start with: scorpion by
Tadashi Mori
Great YouTube channel for learning techniques:
Tadashi Mori - How To Origami
of relying on just diagrams. This lead him to more complex
concepts and models. He says he did this so early on because,
“You see the models that have been diagramed in books, even
the very complex books, and then you see the models that are
in crease patterns ... some of the nicest, most beautiful models
haven’t been diagrammed. They’ve only been crease-patterned.”
Using crease patterns also seemed to have greatly helped Tovi
with his own designs. The beginning of his designing career was
finishing a model his own way, and with crease patterns you
have to shape a model your own way as a finish. He said “The
real transition was from creating my own pretty simple models
to creating complex models where I map out the crease patterns
first, and it’s not just trial and error.”
His message for other kids is “[Origami] is a beautiful
artform. It is where math and art meet ... you want to begin
with a diagram, then you want explore the origami world to
see what is possible.”

Winter 2018 | The PAPER 35

Winter/Spring

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