For starters, a new (possibly) Banksy graphic was a very affirmative nod to the growing popularity of origami as fine art, and fiber manipulation in general.

New Origami Graffiti Art Might Be a Banksy Original! | Inhabitat …

inhabitat.com3/26/12

This awesome crane and goldfish are reported to be Banksy’s latest piece, but we have not had verification. Either way, it rocks!

A new video from Mabona Origami shows a rhino unfolding.  I think I’d rather see him folding than unfolding… but I’m fascinated by paper folding.  This 20-second video is astonishing.  As it unfolds, the process looks deceptively simple.

Origami Rhino Unfolding from MABONA ORIGAMI on Vimeo.

I’m seeing origami in a new advertisement series, promoting artificial leather products.  Refreshing use of graphic… clever and eye-catching!  (Click link to see thumbnails of magazine advertisements.)

Rexiine House: Origami Wolf, Origami Cow … – I Believe in Advertising

www.ibelieveinadv.com3/27/12

This next link, to an origami CD case project at MAKE, is a winner for me. I’m always buying (and losing) paper envelope thingies for my loose CDs. I also seem to send a lot of sheets of paper to the recycling bin. This project idea solves both problems, nicely.

MAKE | Origami CD Case

blog.makezine.com3/26/12

Origami CD Case. Are you like me and have a big spool of DVD-Rs collecting dust on a shelf somewhere that you keep around to occasionally burn a disk for a friend? Chances are, you’ve found yourself hunting around for …

Origami is influencing fashion, as well.  First, I found this WhoWhatWhere article about clothing that references origami.  [link]  Then, this dress which looks like a mix of origami and retro wrap-around styling:

Origami dress | Lipstick & Ruffles

www.lipstickandruffles.com3/28/12

{Topshop Origami dress, Jcrew glitter flats & necklace, Marc Cain bag C/O}. I am finally back home after an amazing time in New Orleans the past few days. The flight in was a little rocky and our plane had a difficult time …

Frankly, I think those designs are rather tame.  As artists, I’m 99% sure we can design some of our own artwear with far better origami elements.  However — to be fair to the designers and clothing manufacturers — we artists are willing to wear clothing that cause some people to raise an eyebrow… and then water-down to wear, themselves.

And, not content to fold paper themselves, those wacky wizards at MIT have come up with a kind of origami paper that folds itself.  Sort of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZf3lo-16wQ

From all of this, I take two things:

• Origami is about to trend.  Even Google doodled with origami this month. (See 14 March 2012 Google header graphic.)
• Origami can be pushed to extremes, and include more design media and projects, than I’d realized.

All in all: Cool stuff!  I’m going back to watch Between the Folds, to look at this from a wearable art viewpoint.  I have wonderful fabrics, some with Asian influences, that could look pretty amazing if they were used in wearables with origami-style surface design.

Between the Folds

Subtitled “The science of art. The art of science,” this video directed by Vanessa Gould is extraordinary.  It starts with origami, but probably not the same origami you remember from second grade.  This is astonishing work by papermakers and other fine artists working with huge sheets of paper, paper designed for finished origami, and textural works using damp paper.

It’s also about artists creating smaller works that give us an entirely new way to look at fiber, paper, and the art of folding.

This one-hour documentary begins with a man who makes magnificent handmade papers and concludes with an MIT researcher and professor using the concept of folds — and origami — as a foundation for important scientific and medical research.  From Akira Yoshizawa to Richard L. Alexander to Dr. Robert J. Lang to Dr. Erik Demaine, you’ll discover corners and nuances of paper art you probably hadn’t even imagined.

It’s a journey, and you’ll visit the studios of origami and paper artists to see a wide range of art forms based on folded and manipulated paper.

For me, the voyage had its ups and downs.  I found myself feeling unusually bored in some sections of the movie, and fascinated by others… sometimes at the same time.  Often, what the artist said was inspiring and insightful, while the displayed details of his or her work didn’t interest me enough to linger.  At other times, I had lukewarm interest in the dialogue, but I was frantic to see more details and angles of the art.

If you are passionate about paper or paper folding, especially origami, I think Between the Folds is a must-own.  You’ll watch it over and over again. If your public library doesn’t own a copy, they should; buy them one.

For the rest of us, it’s a good video to see once (I saw it on Netflix, but it’s also available on-demand at Amazon), pause, and then see it again.  Between the Folds might be imperative if your children (or students) are visually oriented but also fascinated by math (especially patterns and topology) and engineering.

I give Between the Folds four and a half stars because it’s a wonderful documentary, but the editing didn’t feel quite as compelling as it might have.

Do make a point of seeing this documentary.  You’ll never look at paper the same way again.

Photos by Origami Joel (not in video), Joel Cooper

Here’s the trailer for this remarkable documentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE4lqYzS2m0

See larger image Independent Lens: Between the Folds (DVD) Director: Vanessa Gould Starring: Dr. Erik Demaine, Giang Dinh, Vincent Floderer & Le Crimp, Miri Golan, Dr. Tom Hull Rating: NR (Not Rated) List Price: $24.99 USD New From: $13.14 In Stock Used from: $18.71 In Stock Release date January 5, 2010.

Summary

• Comprehensive lists of tools, materials and techniques for four types of shibori
• Very good step-by-step instructions accompanied by clear photos and illustrations
• Exciting projects designed to show practical and creative applications for garments and household accessories

For those who don’t know, Shibori is the ancient Japanese art of dyeing cloth using various methods of manipulating fabric to create areas that will resist the dye bath, producing an exciting variation of patterns and textures, in other words, Japanese tie-dye.

This book deals with four different shibori methods: folding and clamping, arashi – pole-wrapping, bound resists and stitching and gathering. These four methods provide an endless variety of patterns and textures, limited only by the artist’s imagination. It is almost magical to unfold the fabric and discover the exciting and beautiful textures, resulting in designer fabrics that can be used in countless projects of textile design.

The author provides an introduction to the types of dyes and fabrics used, and comprehensive lists of inexpensive and easily obtained tools and materials to create unique designs in fabric. An introduction to each of the shibori methods outlines the procedure and illustrates the effect, then is followed by step-by-step instructions accompanied with clear and concise how-to illustrations and photos of finished examples.

The possibilities in patterns and color combinations in shibori are unlimited and this book offers many, including combinations of the techniques, finishing instructions and project suggestions. The manipulation of fabric and dyes in the shibori methods is unpredictable, exciting and rewarding, and addicting once you have started to experiment.

This book is a fabulous resource for artists who wish to learn the basics of shibori and advance to intermediate techniques and projects.

PROS: Rich in material to start any artist into the magical art of shibori.

CONS: The realm of dyes, dyeing procedures is complex in itself and the beginning dyer may need additional reference to learn the dye/fabric combinations best suiting the artist’s ideas. However, the sources of information on this subject are plentiful, including information from the supplier sources listed in the book.

As a working textile artist, I highly recommend this book as an efficient learning tool and reference book to keep on the shelf.

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Summary

• Short history of traditional batik
• Detailed chapters explaining materials and tools
• Easy to follow step-by-step projects, accompanied with beautiful colored photos

Modern batik methods make this art form accessible to any person interested in creating exciting art cloth and garments.

Batik is an ancient Javanese art form and in its traditional practice required many steps of dyeing and waxing, dyeing traditionally done with repeated dip dyeing in natural indigo (blues) and soga (browns). Included in a brief history of batik, its origin and practice, are color photos showing beautiful examples of traditional batik cloth.

Traditional batik involves repeated waxing, dip dyeing and boiling the wax out of the cloth, however this book illustrates simpler methods of applying wax and dye and removing the wax with everyday household tools and materials.

You will learn six different techniques used in modern batik: using hard wax, stamps, brushes, etching and cracking, discharging and drawing with wax using traditional canting tools.

Projects include step-by-step easy-to-follow instructions, materials and tools lists illustrated by clear colored photos. The variety of projects – scarves, art cloth, lampshades – will start you well on your way to creating beautiful art-to-wear, wall hangings and designer household accessories. The possibilities are endless! As extra eye-candy and inspiration there is a gallery of beautiful photos of finished batik pieces.

Batik is a fun, exciting art form and the use of modern materials and methods makes this art technique available to anyone. Keep this book on the shelf for reference and inspiration for future textile projects.

Great Directions!  I am not a direction reader… My bookshelves are full of wonderful how-to books that are dripping with rich and juicy directions upon which my eyeballs have never rested! BUT those same eyeballs have experienced pure joy while pursing the pictures… and figuring out for myself how to do the projects.

Patti’s book was no exception at the start; I just looked at the pictures and went for it.

Now, I have to put a giant disclaimer in here as I was looking at those pictures before most people. I am IN THE BOOK.

Even so, was I following the directions? Of Course not!  But when I finally got the book, I tried several of the techniques first without the directions and then with them.  WOW!  Her directions are clear, concise and lead you step-by-step down a path at the end of which sits a delightful doll, guaranteed.

Beautiful, Inspiring Photography! The book is FULL of beautiful photography of dolls by many well-known and skilled artists for your inspiration.  Arley Barryhill, Sherry Goshon, Anne Mayer Hesse, and Angela Jarecki are among the inspiriting artists with dolls in the galleries

Helpful “Author’s Suggestions”!  Little boxes are scattered throughout the book full of tricks and hints.  (These alone are worth getting the book.  You can reference them when sewing almost anything!)  Techniques ranging from creating intricate beaded stars to using oil pastels for face painting and everything in between!  Bravo!

Three Patterns! All three of the dolls beginner, intermediate, and advanced are appropriate for their rank  This is not always so in doll books and I appreciate the diversity.  The easiest doll is a basic pancake doll while the advanced is much more complex and even includes a nice pair of shoes.

Artistic and Easy! Patti was a portrait artist in an earlier incarnation and it shows in her skilled rendering of the faces and her understanding of the nuances of personality.  Each doll comes with detailed directions on making that exact face and the gallery dolls show that you can take off from there and go somewhere else.

This book will be a great addition to any doll artists library.

Learn more about this book and read others’ reviews at

Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

“Fixed on the Scent of Light”

This is one of the dolls I made for Patti’s book and to my delight it won a blue ribbon at Dimensions in Dollmaking!  She is based on a poem by the mystical Persian poet, Hafiz.

THE SCENT OF LIGHT

Like a great starving beast
My body is quivering
Fixed
On the scent
Of
Light.

She was created in cloth and then I painted, stamped, and embossed a sheet of J.Jill tissue that had a nice shiny surface and collaged it onto the doll.  That created the basic background.  Then I  printed the poem in several different fonts and sizes, painted and stamped the page, cut out bits and pieces and collaged them on to the doll.

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