We ventured into space in our last post, so now let's shift our focus to explore the versatility of origami structures in various environments, moving from space.
Origami techniques are actually employed in a variety of industries including medicine, where they've revolutionized the design of stents. However, what truly stands out is how origami is employed in space to build massive structures.
NASA engineers have adopted this ancient art form to design structures for space travel and habitation, harnessing its ability to create compact and dynamic designs.
Among the other structures or elements of a structure created with this technique there are also the solar array wings on the International Space Station (ISS) that employ a Z-folding pattern and the Mars Phoenix lander that incorporates a fan-folded solar array called the UltraFlex.
One of the most striking application of origamis to a space structure is the one employed to build the Starshade. This is essentially a shield as it suppresses the light of distant stars by being deployed and opened in front of a space telescope’s camera, so that the images of the exoplanets around the stars are clearer and can be studied in an easier way.
The Starshade is huge (about the size of a baseball diamond) and features a swirling central folded pattern and a sort of crown of petals, resembling a sunflower when it is opened. This structure summarizes the principle behind origamis: to make something large, small.
A few years ago Dutch designer Samira Boon created a textile piece moving from the same origami pattern that you can see in the centre of the Starshade.
Boon frequently integrates origami techniques into her interior design pieces and installations. One notable example is the BioFold series, which consists of acoustic elements crafted from biobased and recycled textile residues such as hemp or jute coffee bags.
Inspired by Japanese origami, these pieces not only imbue spaces with a distinctive and sustainable identity but also enhance structural capacity, flexibility, and acoustic properties through their three-dimensional origami designs, playing creatively with light, shadow, and perception.
Recently, Boon unveiled a new creation titled "Tsuru" at the central atrium of the Richard Cairns Building, part of the Performing Arts Centre at Brighton College.
Designed by the Dutch architecture studio KRFT, this atrium serves as a vital hub linking a 400-seat theatre, classrooms, a café, and lounge via expansive staircases that double as rehearsal spaces, dining areas, or theatre foyers. Given its role as a key social connector, impeccable acoustics are crucial in this vast void.
"Tsuru" consists in an acoustic textile art installation featuring a three-dimensional origami surface rendered in various shades of green, ranging from chartreuse to lime with a touch of concrete grey added.
The true depth of these figures emerges once the textiles are installed, revealing a parametrically designed pattern created using advanced weaving techniques at the TextielLab of the TextielMuseum in Tilburg.
The folds are intricately pre-programmed into the fabric, incorporating a mix of twisted yarns that produce subtle variations in color and texture, culminating in an organic, ivy-like aesthetic that defines the installation's complex and natural appearance.
Similar to the origami in space that have a key purpose, here the angled triangular and diamond-shaped facets serve as acoustic diffusers, Samira Boon's installation in the Richard Cairns Building integrates indeed these elements to add dynamic character to the walls while enhancing acoustic performance.
Spanning over 100 square meters on the expansive theatre box walls, the installation brings a natural aesthetic into the architectural space.
This design also pays homage to the local landscape, with the white theatre box echoing the steep chalk cliffs prevalent along the South English coast, adorned with overgrown ivy.
As viewers move around the three-dimensional faceted artwork, they also get the impression that the origami structure moves, just like leaves swaying in the wind or clouds forming unpredictable shapes.
This is the most complex art installation ever developed by Samira Boon Studio. Previously the studio created with the same technique a smaller site-specific artistic facade for the Hermès Taikoo Li Qiantan store in Shanghai, China.
In this case the installation plays with density and transparency, as it starts from a denser configuration and becomes progressively transparent as it rises, manipulating natural light, and offering clients a sense of privacy and a sense of wonderment as well, as with the changing sunlight, the appearance of the seclusive screens transforms constantly.
In fashion there are some designs in the current collections that evoke the three-dimensional geometries and origamis in Boon's installations, one example is Loewe's "Puzzle" bag collection that includes a wide range of totes and handbags in different materials and color combinations characterized by geometrical lines that disrupt the linearity of the designs.
While the late Issey Miyake remains the undisputed master of origami in fashion but also in small interior design pieces with a fashionable twist about them, Junya Watanabe has also made notable use of origami techniques in his designs (remember Watanabe's A/W 15, A/W 16 and A/W 17 collections?).
Don’t know where to start with your origami project? Well, start from NASA with a little exercise: download the origami pattern (Download Starshade_template) for the Starshade's "inner disk optical shield". Understand the principle behind it then create something from that origami pattern. What will it be? A scarf? A hat? A dress? Or maybe a large installation? Well, as usual, you decide, just remember to think small while thinking big.
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