Photo courtesy of PriceGrabber.com.
My husband and I are both fans of Netflix's instant streaming feature, especially since the service offers a large number of documentary films covering a variety of topics.
One title that recently caught my eye was Between the Folds, a PBS documentary first released in 2008. This fascinating project from filmmaker Vanessa Gould explores origami's relationship to art, science, and mathematics. In the opening narration, Ms. Gould declares paper folders "sculptors and scientists" who "bring beauty to the mundane."
For the average origami enthusiast, the most amazing part of Between the Folds is seeing just how far you can take this art form. One of the paper folders featured in the documentary asks the audience, "How far can you change that square?"
For most of us, our limits involve cranes, boxes, envelopes, and other relatively simple figures. However, Between the Folds features models folded from sheets of paper that are five foot squares, figures with 200-300 steps, and projects that take five weeks to design and another 20 hours to fold. Dr. Erik Demaine, Eric Joisel, Dr. Robert J. Lang, Vincent Floderer, and the other paper folders featured make origami animals and origami people who are so lifelike they almost appear to be breathing.
I found it especially interesting to listen to Michael G. LaFosse, an origami artist who makes his own paper in order to create the perfect material for folding a specific model. By making paper that is precisely the right color, size, and thickness for his projects, he can create models that are unlike anything you've seen before. The idea of making your own origami paper is something I'd never really considered before watching Between the Folds, even though I've done some paper making in the past.
While Between the Folds doesn't offer any instructions for creating specific origami projects, this inspirational film is still a must-see for anyone interested in paper folding. The portrayal of origami enthusiasts as artists, engineers, choreographers, and anarchists is certain to provide the inspiration you need to tackle your next project.
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