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From YouTube tutorials to TV ads and AI image generating styles, origami is becoming ubiquitous. It’s even being adopted by various brands and music bands that have little or nothing to do with the ancient (and modern) art of paper folding.
But origami is more than an aesthetic or a craft for kids. It’s a relaxing activity for all ages, at times meditative, a form of expression, and in some cases, an authentic art form. As World Origami Day (November 11) approaches, here are some reflections on some of its many benefits.
(View the PHOTO GALLERY at the end of this article to see extraordinary origami designs from around the world.)
Simplicity
Although not all origami models are simple (far from it), there’s a pleasing simplicity to an activity that essentially requires nothing more than a piece of paper. There are many kinds of paper made especially for origami, but you can fold anything, from a train ticket to a tea bag envelope, from recycled photocopy paper to a paper placemat. You can fold at home, on the train, waiting in line at the bank…
Because of this simplicity and accessibility, origami is practically always possible, whether you’re just fidgeting creatively or fully focused on creating a gift for a friend. It can also be a great conversation starter, sparking curiosity in others if you fold on an airplane or another public place.
Relaxing
Akira Yoshizawa, generally considered the father of modern origami, is often quoted as saying, “When your hands are busy your heart is serene.” Origami beginners don’t necessarily feel this way at first; there’s a learning curve, harder for some people than others. You can feel some frustration when you don’t understand the instructions, or the folds don’t turn out as planned. However, once the standard folds and sequences become familiar, making a favorite model — or a new one that uses common sequences — becomes relaxing, and even meditative.
While rigorous scientific research is still lacking, many origamists will happily recount how the practice of paper folding helps them relax and calm their nerves. Some have even experienced its therapeutic value, helping them get through periods of depression.
Meditative
Origami — especially some kinds, such as modular origami or tessellations — often involves repetition. It’s not surprising that there’s a famous Japanese tradition of folding 1,000 traditional origami cranes as a sort of prayer for a special intention. One needn’t adopt the Shinto religious context of this tradition to appreciate the value of repetitive folding to focus our intentionality on achieving a goal. Every Catholic is familiar with the use of repetition in Christian prayer, in the Rosary and beyond! And there’s no reason we can’t pray in a Christian way while we fold, above all when we’re folding alone.
Expressive, sometimes of faith
And since origami can represent anything and everything, we can also fold models with religious themes. Crosses, crucifixes, moments from the Passion of Christ, Nativity scenes, the Holy Spirit as a dove, and representations of Mary and other saints are all available as models we can fold. (See the PHOTO GALLERY below for examples.) We can use them to share our faith or to teach children about these topics. A Spanish origami group has even made an origami mantle for the statue of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza, which the shrine places on the image one day a year.
Personally, I’ve been doing origami for around 45 years. As an origami designer and a Catholic, I have created my own version of some of these religious themes. But faith has also come into my origami in other ways too.
Sometimes I ask God or Mary for inspiration, and a response is usually quick in coming. In the past few years, I’ve created many decorative, circular, mostly abstract origami figures (called “mandalas” by popular convention, with no association in this case with Eastern spirituality or philosophy). Needing a long list of related names for my models, and in recognition of the many times Mary has helped me find inspiration, I’ve been naming all the models in one ongoing series after titles, advocations, and places of apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Instructions for a selection of these and other similar models can be found in my book Magnificent Origami Mandalas: Radial Modular Origami Models for Enthusiasts.
Creativity is a participation in God’s creation
Lastly, I like to remember when we do origami, as with any other artistic activity, we are reflecting the image of God, who is the Creator. St. John Paul II said, in his Letter to Artists:
God therefore called man into existence, committing to him the craftsman’s task. Through his “artistic creativity” man appears more than ever “in the image of God” […]. With loving regard, the divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of his own surpassing wisdom, calling him to share in his creative power.
Click below to see a slideshow of origami from artists around the world, representing both secular and religious themes:
For more info on the works and artists featured in the slideshow, check the following links:
- Body and Blood, created and folded by Michał Kosmulski (Poland)
- Our Lady of the Pilar, created and folded by Ángel Morollón (Spain)
- Adoration of the Magi, created and folded by Joseph Wu (Canada)
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux, created and folded by Vera Young (Brazil)
- Church, created and folded by Matthew Green (USA/Mexico)
- Dragonfly, designed and folded by Bodo Haag (Germany)
- Rhinoceros, designed by Tu Kaiming (China) and folded by Monica Xing Gao (China)
- Spaceship from a famous franchise, designed and folded by Morisue Kei (Japan)
- Long Life and Friendship, created and folded by Matthew Green (USA/Mexico)
- Between Ages, origami tessellation created and folded by Ilan Garibi (Israel)
- Star with Spirals, designed and folded by Meenakshi Mukerji (India/USA)
And today we celebrate...