CHAPTER 3
INFINITE FOLDS
In this chapter we illustrate a folding technique for making indefinitely repeating fractal folds. The process calls for subdivision—dividing folds in half, then in half again. However, it is possible to fold them in three or more parts and thus generate a variety of motifs.
The infinite folds presented here are characterized by the fact that once formed, they can be flattened or fanned out. A long series of them can be shaped into a circle or sinuous coil. Moreover, the angle of the fold can vary to some extent, and thus lead to myriad shapes. (TF)
MODELING WITH SWALLOW 45 WHIRL 1
Height x Diameter 7.9 x 53.4 inches (200 x 1356 mm)
MODELING WITH SWALLOW 45 WHIRL 2
Height x Diameter 9.4 x 53.2 inches (240 x 1350 mm)
MODELING WITH SWALLOW 45 WHIRL 3
Height x Diameter 7.9 x 51.2 inches (200 x 1300 mm)
One of the first exhibitions of infinite folds in Europe took place in 2015 at the Schafhof Gallery in Freising, Germany. It was here that Tomoko Fuse took up the challenge of a display that occupied a 5,380-square foot (500-square meter) ground-floor space. Preparations for the installation took her six months. Fuse’s favorite material is shōji paper, generally used for walls and sliding panels in Japanese homes, where it is replaced each year.
Fire-resistant, hence more rigid, this type of paper lends itself to folding and is available in rolls of 3.2 feet (1 meter) in height and 98.4 feet (30 meters) in length. The theme in this case was the Japanese rock garden. The artist represented it through sequences of folds of diminishing size in which each level was half that of the previous one, in a kind of fractal process. The sequences of larger folds were allowed to meander, like rivers or winding paths, while the others were arranged into perfect circular structures. It is difficult for someone who has not seen a work of this size to envision it. Traditional origami is made out of square sheets 6 x 6 inches (15 x 15 centimeters) in size. However, when it comes to infinite folds, as the term implies, the dimensions of the sheets know no limits.
To those traveling to Japan, I recommend a visit to Ryōanji, the Zen temple in Kyoto known for its rock garden. Standing before Tomoko Fuse’s infinite folds, one feels transported into an imaginary space much like that of a sacred one, in which it is impossible not to submit to a meditative frame of mind and experience great peace and tranquility. (DB)
MODELING WITH SWALLOW 45 CIRCULAR STUMP
Height x Diameter 9 x 19.3 inches (230 x 490 mm)
MODELING WITH SWALLOW 45 SHIRAKAWA HOUSE—TRIPARTITA
Width x Length x Height 9.3 x 18.9 x 14.2 inches (235 x 480 x 360 mm)
MODELING WITH SWALLOW 45 SHIRAKAWA HOUSE—QUADRIPARTITA Width x Length x Height
7.9 x 18.9 x 13.8 inches (200 x 480 x 350 mm)
MODELING WITH SWALLOW 45 RIVER
Height x Diameter 4.7 x 28 inches (120 x 710 mm)
MODELING WITH ARROWHEAD 45 WHIRL UFO
Height x Diameter 6 x 55.1 inches (150 x 1400 mm)
MODELING WITH ARROWHEAD 45 MOUNTAIN 1
Height x Diameter 11 x 53.5 inches (280 x 1360 mm)
MODELING WITH ARROWHEAD 45 MOUNTAIN 3
Height x Diameter 12.6 x 51.2 inches (320 x 1300 mm)
MODELING WITH ARROWHEAD 45 MOUNTAIN 2
Height x Diameter 13.4 x 45.7 inches (340 x 1160 mm)
MODELING WITH ARROWHEAD 68 SHARP MOUNTAIN 1 (BIG)
Height x Diameter 49.6 x 36.2 inches (1260 x 920 mm)
MODELING WITH ARROWHEAD 65 SHARP MOUNTAIN 2 (SMALL)
Height x Diameter 39.7 x 29 inches (1008 x 736 mm)
MODELING WITH ARROWHEAD 60 MOUNTAIN 4
Height x Diameter 14.2 x 27.6 inches (360 x 700 mm)
MODELING WITH ARROWHEAD 45 FANCY PLEATS
Height x Diameter 8.1 x 6.7 inches (207 x 170 mm)
MODELING WITH DOUBLE TUCK 45 COLOSSEUM
Height x Diameter 6.5 x 22 inches (165 x 560 mm)
MODELING WITH CONSECUTIVE TUCK 50 TUCK TUCK
Width x Length x Height 5.5 x 13.4 x 13.2 inches (140 x 340 x 335 mm)
MODELING WITH CONSECUTIVE TUCK 50 FERN SEEDLINGS
Width x Height 6.7 x 33.5 inches (170 x 850 mm)
MODELING WITH CONSECUTIVE TUCK 50 FERN SEEDLINGS
Width x Height 6.7 x 33.5 inches (170 x 850 mm)
PAPER GARDEN BY INFINITE FOLDING
European House of Art Upper Bavaria, Schafhof, Freising, Germany, 2015
JAPANESE ROCK GARDEN BY INFINITE FOLDING
Japan Alps Art Festival, Omachi, Japan, 2017