Tomoko Fuse’s Origami Art

CONSTRUCTING WITH THE KNOT

Creating a perfect pentagon out of origami without the help of a measuring device is extremely difficult. Nonetheless, if you take a thin strip of paper and make a simple knot in it—even without folding it too precisely—the pentagon will appear as if by magic. At this point, you can try using it as a base for various compositions, and afterwards extend the same principle to the square and the hexagon. This is how the pieces in this chapter came into being.

Shape the loop by repeatedly folding a thin strip of paper at a given angle until you have a polygon that can be closed by inserting the two ends into each other. Here, you will find square, pentagonal and hexagonal loops. All have slots through which other paper strips can be threaded. Using the loop as a lead and a catch to create figures at will can be stimulating. Additional pleasure arises from the combination of colors and from the possibility of generating stars and floral patterns. (TF)

PENTAGON STAR RING

A: Diameter 5.1 in (130 mm); B: Diameter 4.7 in (120 mm)
PAPER Color tracing paper

PENTAGON STAR KNOT

A: Diameter 2 in (50 mm); B: Diameter 2.6 in (65 mm; C: Diameter 3.1 in (80 mm)
PAPER Color tracing paper

RECTANGLE KNOT 2

11 x 18.9 inches (280 x 480 mm)
PAPER Washi

HEXAGON KNOT 1

11.6 x 14.8 inches (295 x 375 mm)
PAPER Washi

It may not be obvious that a thin strip of paper can work the same way as a string or piece of twine. We all know the simple or “package” knot. It is the one we make every day when tying our shoes. As Tomoko points out, it is amazing to discover that if we make one with a strip of paper, carefully pulling the two ends and flattening everything out, we will end up with a perfect pentagon. From here, it is only a tiny step to imagining how to create a 12-sided solid figure or pentagonal dodecahedron from a long, continuous strip.

But Tomoko Fuse goes far beyond this. This well-known master of modular origami is able to use strips to create the most elegant structures with square, rectangular, triangular, and hexagonal bases, always resorting to the principle of the knot or extending the procedure to create other flat or solid forms.

For example, the artist can make complex and elaborate two-dimensional “tapestries” out of interwoven paper strips—much like tartan or tweed textiles—from “threads” of various colored paper held together by strips that are knotted at intersections or along the edges. (DB)