BETWEEN THE FOLDS | Documentary Film | Independent Lens

Origami: it’s no longer just paper cranes. A determined group of theoretical scientists and fine artists have abandoned conventional careers to forge unlikely new lives as modern paper folders. These intrepid individuals are interpreting the world in paper, creating a wild mix of sensibilities that redefine art, science and creativity. Photos: a shell shaped colorful origami piece on a background that shows a folding diagram. Below: An origami frog made from thick green paper, A pink, blue and white, three-dimensional origami form, resembling a paper bag with fish-like scales, A white origami tessellation that looks like a spiral rose and filmmaker Vanessa Gould—with short blond hair, glasses and wearing a pale green sweater—looks into a camera with a microphone mounted on top.

History of Origami

From ancient orikata to modern trends in single-fold origami and free-form paper crimping, the art of origami has roots in Japanese religious and ceremonial traditions.

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Match the Folds

Can you see the pattern in the pattern? Try to match the kaleidoscopic origami fold pattern to the finished product, then download the fold and try to recreate the objects.

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Behind the Scenes

“Filmmaking has so much in common with paper folding—they’re creative, process-oriented, technical, structured and expressive.”

Hear more from filmmaker Vanessa Gould >>