Origami is the art of paper folding, and originated in Asia where it has been a traditional part of Japanese culture for over 400 years. It is now practiced worldwide. The name is of Japanese origin and made from combining ori, meaning "folding", and kami meaning "paper" ("kami " changes to "gami" due to a rule of Japanese grammar called Rendaku).
Most early origami focused on representing animals and simple objects, but it has since branched out to include a myriad of fascinating styles including tessellations, abstract origami, crumpled origami, modular origami, and so much more (see my Links page to visit the websites of some other artists). In addition to the artistic aspect, origami has recently evolved into a complex science, covering a myriad of topics ranging from NASA satellites to mathematical methods for designing the next paper creepy crawly. |