
ORIGAMI!
What is origami? This topic is often discussed on the origami list, and can be quite a complex question. Does origami refer to folding paper, or does it include other mediums, like sheet metal or edible paper-thin pancakes? Is origami a craft or an art? Can it be both? Should the definition of origami allow some gluing and cutting, as long as the origami model is arrived at mainly through folding? In an email to the origami list dated 21 Jan 1999, Joseph Wu provided this simple yet encompassing definition, which I happen to like quite a bit: Origami is a form of visual / sculptural representation that is defined primarily by the folding of the medium (usually paper).
You may have your own ideas on this subject. As has been pointed out on the origami list, the search for an exact definition might at first seem impractical: put simply, who cares? Well, suppose someone were to set up a permanent origami exhibition at a museum, or a charitable trust for the promotion of origami. Both of these situtions would require the organizers to set down a definition of origami for legal purposes. If you would like to weigh in on the subject, please join the origami list! As for the word itself, it is commonly known that the word is Japanese in origin; oru means "to fold", and kami means "paper". But did you know that the folding of paper was not always called origami? Hatori Koshiro provides an interesting history of origami, as well as some thoughts on my original question of what is origami. Mr. Lister cautions that these pieces are by no means a complete History of Origami, and that there may be errors and omissions. We are all looking forward to David Lister's complete origami history in a published format, but in the meantime we can still learn so much from his wonderful "miscellaneous collections of jottings", presented to you here.