Platonic Solids

So after looking into Paul's folds and proving that he was indeed using origami to fold a 60' angle(see attached picture). I began making shapes.

These shapes are known as platonic solids.  The water bomb is the cube and the other three shapes are all based on the equilateral triangles that Paul showed me.  I liked the idea of leaving one face open so you can see the interior as well as the exterior.  All of these models were made from one piece of paper which I also like in a weird flat surface to solid regular shape kind of way.   

There is of course the Dodecahedron missing from this group but I haven't even figured out how to make a pentagon yet let alone a 12 sided figure with pentagons.  Always something to work on though. 

Apollo inverse

I just wanted to do one more lander picture, sorry.  I detailed new landing pads and all sorts of stuff but really I just wanted to do a grainy moon landing special effect

I met Paul

I  had a genuinely surprising moment the other day when this guy sat next to me on the tube and said " So... I'm not the only one." and was folding a 20 pointed star.  

He left a completed one on the seat when we left and gave me a piece of the puzzle to look at myself.  I am still grappling with the equilateral triangle that it all involves.  I have since found a way to make a tetrahedron( 4 equilateral triangles forming a regular geometric 3d object)out of 3 pieces of paper and a geodesic shape currently a rock or lump but it may grow into a icosahedron (a 20 sided object or D20 if you play role playing games).

Apollo 11

So.... having figured out the legs and dome then I had to divide my sheet into 7 parts (see attached diagram) and then do 4 legs, one for each corner. And there was Apollo 11 or at least what I had wanted to achieve.

The development of Apollo

So it took far too much fidgeting but I came up with a plan.  It was funny working on just one leg of the lander as I could see what I was working towards but it was just strange for anyone else to see I'm sure.

The final solution was to replace the tucked away  method for hiding the excess paper in the original fold with a petal fold exterior to the dome shape.

Then I tucked away most of the petal fold to the interior of the dome.  

I then folded the petal sides to the middle to create a long thin leg for my craft.

To finish I pinched the leg out in the middle and added a landing foot.

The birth of Apollo 11

Two strange things have converged in recent months:  the anniversary of the moon landings and a new fold (to me).  

The photos I have here are the shapes I came across fidgeting one day.  The indented equilateral triangle is a very strange fold as it makes an easy shift from a flat surface through two 45' bevels to 3 perpendicular sides each at 45' to each other.  This quite simple set of folds is an appealing shape in itself. 

 When you combine 4 of these around a square you end up with an octagonal based dome.  I loved the simple architectural properties of this shape and almost instantly likened it to the top of the Apollo 11 Moon-lander.  It has unfortunately taken me 4 months to figure out how to make the rest of the craft....

more stairs

So in looking at the way in which a staircase is made in real life I have attempted to articulate it in graphic form.  

The real problem is that paper is a much more complex and actually not hard geometry but something much more subtle.  

The real tactility of the origami object is really its strength.  Sorry, I am  just finding it strange to have finally have got to the stage where 3d imaging is possible with my level of modelling an it really just makes me look more at the real origami object.

Structure 2

So I have been fiddling with the four corners combined and ended up with something fun but a bit rediculous.

It does however have some strange structural properties, the larger one that is.  

Structure

Having extolled the virtues of simplicity of form I turn around and complicate an idea.  This happened in two ways:

The first being modelling.  I have been working with a 3D modelling programme called Sketchup for a sculptural project. I had a go looking at how the simple folds in the previous architecture posts could be modelled.

And combined....  

And I have now made all of these as actual objects.  The final image here is the beginning of a much more complex piece...

Architecture 2 ....

So these structures can become more complex as you add more of these corners.  The nice thing is that by using 4 corners you can make a square platform.  You can also use sets of corners to cascade up and make a set of steps.

Now here is where thinking about a show came in.  I like to show off completed things.  I have a Ziggeurat and a Cowboy hat that take this even a step further but the clean formal initial pieces in the last post and this one seem to be stronger as abstract compositions and more communicative about the whole process.

So for the show I want to line a corridore like space with these pieces hung on the wall in doubles left being a top view, right being a bottom and ending with a staircase on the floor with its underside hanging from the ceiling. All made from cheap 2m square white paper. I like memocube paper I really like big memocube paper.

 

Architecture

So I had a vague conversation about another show the other day and it got me thinking about structure.  I have been obsessing over a sculpture for the last wee while. (some explanation of my lack of posting but not an excuse) One of the things I really enjoy about origami is the simple ideas. 

I came up with a fold a few years back which made a right angled corner in the middle of a sheet of paper.  Of course I saw the Enigma Bowl by David Mitchell and realised once again that one very rarely discovers anything new.  

However the nice thing about the fold involved is that it makes lovely structures. So I have posted a series of experiments here creating simple structures from the idea then becoming more complex.

Crabby

I have been away. that is my excuse and I am sticking with it.

While away I saw beautiful paper in Japan and have come up with a crab.  It is strange that I liked the stylisation of this piece given the amount of super folding and modular pieces that can make things of such accuracy but I still like a good old fashioned styalised crab.

Oh well 

Happy Birthday Dogboy

Here is a dog head I have made up recently That I dedicate to the original dog boy.

Happy Birthday