844: (294/365) Our House, is a very very very fine house …

It seems to be the season for buying houses. A couple of my work colleagues have, individually, in the last little while purchased houses:

The “Great Australian Dream” apparently is to own your own home – this seems irrefutable proof that it is still entirely possible. Continue reading

843: (293/365) Origami Architecture

I was doodling with a 17cm square, divided into an 8×8 grid and collapsed, via a photodiagram (and a bit of wrestle-magic) into a curious but possibly useful surface corrugation/tessellation:

With an exercise in patience, fold accuracy and layer management, a “swastika”-like collapse becomes a sunken 4 segment recess, then the edges tidy up with some propagatible pleats, making this tesselatable. Continue reading

841: (291/365) Shuriken

Now I am pretty sure that “ninja stars” were not really a thing, but – meh:

This rather charming woven six-pointed star is an interesting exercise in re-working a square into a windmill-like hexagonal base. Continue reading

833: (283/365) Porous

It is interesting how things sometimes just work themselves out:

Here was me, panicking because I had nothing ready or in mind for today’s fold, came home and the latest Tanteidan Magazine was in my mailbox. Continue reading

832: (282/365) “Love You Longtime”

Apparently there is an Origami Olympiad – an annual internet competition where folders are pitted against a collection of challenging folds for points:

This model is the first one from the IVth International Origami Internet Olympiad, a publication that contains other things I will try also. Continue reading

829: (279/365) Kablang!

Leafing through my copy of Drawing Origami Tome 2, I noticed a spectacular modular designed by Francesco Mancini that I knew I had to try:

Modules folded from 2×1 rectangles lock together really nicely, creating clusters of 3 and 5, forcing the megastructure to curve gently into a spikey ball. Continue reading

825: (275/365) Happy Irrelevant Monarch’s Birthday

For some reason the republic of Australia still has ties to a monarchy that is completely irrelevant to us but somehow, ultimately, still controls aspects of our government:

I decided to celebrate the public holiday (yay, I accept the holiday, just reject the reason) by folding a crown. Continue reading

817: (267/365) Double Helix

Being a bit of a closet Biology nerd, when you see a design that combines love of folding with something biologically interesting you jump at the chance to fold it:

This modular is made up of a bunch of bent arrow-shaped modules that slip together in 2 strands that then, rather satisfyingly, intertwine in much the same way as worms do when they are mating. Continue reading

814: (264/365) Complementary Modular Octahedron

Having recently realised I had forgotten to re-subscribe to JOAS, I hurriedly did so then went on holidays, fully expecting the back-issues of Tanteidan to not arrive for weeks:

Due to the miracles of Australia post (or was that Japanese post and a courier?) they arrived while I was away, fortunately kept dry in my mailbox.  Continue reading

809: (259/365) Un Tergo Del Cubo

I am constantly amazed by the variety of techniques on display in Jun Maekawa’s designs, and this cube is no different:

Based, in principle at least, on an acute windmill base, folded asymmetrically, it locks into a geometry that confuses the eye. Continue reading

807: (257/365) Won’t you come and fly ….

…in my beautiful balloon:

This is an 18 section balloon made from 6 modules that overlap and interleave, edge locks that secure the geometry, no glue, no cuts etc. I can see it decorating a small kid’s bedroom, surrounded by planes and rocket ships. Who wants it? Continue reading

805: (255/365) Further Fractal Folding

Time is scarce but this was folded while kids were doing a really hard test, figured I should try something hard also:

This is a level 6 fractal fold of the previously folded Shuzo Fujimoto Hydrangea, and a beauty to behold. Continue reading

804: (254/365) Daniela Caboni’s Yin and Yang

The principle of Yin and Yang is a fundamental concept in Chinese philosophy and culture in general dating from the third century BCE or even earlier. This principle is that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites, for example female-male, dark-light and old-young:

Right now I am trying to balance rest with exhaustion due to a punishing marking schedule. The Yang is winning over the Yin at the moment. Continue reading

801: (251/365) Oxi Moron

So when invigilating, you cannot mark or do anything that productively uses the time, so sometimes I choose a simple but repetitive fold that I can do without looking anywhere but in the direction of students being examined:

This is Michal Kosmulski’s “Oxi” module – an interesting variation of Tom Hull’s “Phiz” unit. Continue reading