Origamidō: The Art of Paper Folding

by Michael G. LaFosse

Translated from Japanese as "the way, through paperfolding," Origamido is a way of life and of design. More than colorful, folded paper cranes and simple, but charming animals and toys, Origamido is spirited creativity through paper folding. This book presents an enchanting collection of the world's Origamido, masterworks of origami by some of the finest designers and paper folders living today. --Includes dazzling origami art from 40 international artists --Traces the development of these fascinating designs through fold-out diagrams and drawings

Genres: Origami

144 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2000

Reviews

[Belarius · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you own only one coffee table book, make it this one. A showcase of paper-folding's most prodigious artists, the sculptures portrayed within are beautiful and (given their humble origins as squares of paper) mystifying. Rarely has an art form been capable of inspiring such bafflement.

My very favorite is Eric Joisel's pangolin (made from a single sheet of paper!), but other friends of mine have different favorites. Some people are amazed by the life-sized origami flies to real-seeming that the photographer had to be reminded not to swat at anything. Or the wet-folded origami masks fine enough to wear.

As a book of masterpieces, this book isn't a how-to guide. While it includes a couple of token instructions in the back, this is not an instructional book. This is a book to remind you how distant and wondrous the mastery of an art form, however gimmicky-seeming, can be.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael LaFosse has a gift. He takes things we see everyday and uses paper to form works of art. Some are his pieces and others belong to various artists.

This book is for those of you that need inspiration. It is imagination in a simple form: colorful pictures, possibly a brief description, or not, what the item is and the person who made it.

Paper can be homemade, 'washi', paper-backed foil, or a Kraft-type. There are other materials that may be new to you. He follows with a few diagrams and instructions at the back of the book to get you started. But, most importantly, the author unpretentiously wants to show what can be done with this form of medium.