Origami Honor

Arts & Crafts

Requirements

1. Define what origami is. Know its history and development in different countries.

   Answer: Origami is the traditional Japanese art of folding paper to create figures (animals, flowers, objects) using only folds, without cuts or glue. The name comes from the Japanese 'ori' (to fold) + 'kami' (paper). History and development in different countries: 1) China — paper was invented there (2nd century BC); with the spread of paper, the first folds appeared, linked to rituals and funerals. 2) Japan — received paper around the 6th century (via Buddhist monks) and developed ceremonial and decorative origami; it became popular in the Edo period, when paper became cheaper; the tsuru (crane) became a national symbol. 3) Spain/Arab world — the Moors brought folding to the Iberian Peninsula, giving rise to 'papiroflexia', with a focus on geometric forms. 4) The West/modern era — in the 20th century, Akira Yoshizawa created a standardized system of symbols and diagrams that unified the notation worldwide, professionalizing the art and bringing it into education, mathematics and even engineering. — Akira Yoshizawa (1911-2005) is considered the father of modern origami; he created more than 50,000 models and developed the Yoshizawa-Randlett notation, the international standard for fold diagrams.

2. Define what the main current uses of origami are and what the difference is in relation to how it was used in the past.

   Answer: The question has two parts. 1) Current uses: education (teaching mathematics, geometry, fractions and spatial vision), occupational therapy and relaxation (focus, fine motor coordination, stress reduction), art and decoration (paper sculptures, ornaments, gifts), creative packaging and, above all, science and technology — aerospace engineering (solar panels and satellite antennas that fold to fit in the rocket and open in space), medicine (foldable stents and implants that go in small and expand in the body), airbags and robotics. 2) Difference compared to the past: in the old days origami was used almost exclusively for ceremonial, religious and decorative purposes — folds accompanied Shinto rituals, offerings in temples, formal gift wrapping (noshi) and decorations at weddings in Japan, with paper being expensive and restricted to the nobility and clergy. Today, beyond leisure and art, it has become a practical and scientific tool: it is cheap, accessible to everyone and applied to solve real problems in engineering, design and health. In short: the past was symbolic/ceremonial and elitist; the present is educational, therapeutic, popular and technological. — NASA and Brigham Young University developed in 2014 a solar panel based on origami that unfolds in space, and cardiologists have used stents inspired by fold patterns since 2018.

3. Explain the importance and usefulness of diagrams. Know the main symbols used in them.

   Answer: You use diagrams to reproduce models without needing an instructor present, with universal symbols such as a dashed line (valley fold), a dotted line (mountain fold), a curved arrow (fold), a double arrow (fold and unfold) and a circle (turn over). — The Yoshizawa-Randlett system unified dozens of regional notations in 1956 and made origami accessible worldwide; today it is the standard in books, videos and software such as Origami Player used by the global origami community.

4. Be able to identify the following symbols and perform the corresponding movement, where applicable:
   • Fold in this direction
   • Fold and unfold
   • Fold backward
   • Fold inward
   • Valley fold line
   • Mountain fold line
   • Front
   • Back
   • Crease
   • Hold here
   • Blow
   • Open
   • Fold over the fold
   • Rotate

   Answer: The valley line (dashed line) indicates a forward fold, forming a 'V' open upward when the paper is seen from the side. — Valley/mountain folds are orthogonal to each other: each valley seen from one side is a mountain seen from the other, a principle that underpins all origami based on the theorems of Maekawa and Kawasaki.

5. Explain the importance and usefulness of bases or basic forms. Demonstrate the following:
   • Square base
   • Fish base
   • Balloon base
   • Bird base
   • Frog base

   Answer: The bases (or basic forms) are common starting points for countless models, avoiding repeating the same initial folds in each project and giving the folder an organized structure to create varied figures. 1) Square base (preliminary): starts from a square folded along the diagonals and midlines, gathering the sides to form a small square with four flaps; it is the base of flowers, boxes and the traditional tsuru. 2) Fish base: uses 'kite' folds on two opposite corners, creating narrow points that become fins and a tail; it serves for fish, birds and figures with fine points. 3) Waterbomb base: starts from the square with folds on the diagonals and midlines gathered opposite to the preliminary, forming a triangle that inflates; it is the base of the paper balloon and three-dimensional figures. 4) Bird base: derives from the square base with petal folds on the four flaps, generating four long points used for wings, head and tail; it is the base of the classic tsuru and of many birds. 5) Frog base: also starts from the square base, but with petal folds on all faces, producing eight points; it is used for the frog, flowers with many petals (iris) and complex models. — The traditional bases were cataloged by Akira Yoshizawa, who identified about 7 main bases, with the 5 of the requirement (square, fish, waterbomb, bird, frog) being the most common in classic works.

6. Fold the following models from diagrams or choose similar models:
   • Tsuru (paper crane)
   • Dog
   • Flower
   • Cicada
   • Jumping frog
   • Carrier pigeon
   • Sailboat
   • Hen
   • Leaf
   • Duck
   • Butterfly
   • Person

   Answer: The tsuru represents longevity, peace, fidelity and luck in Japanese culture. — Sadako Sasaki died in 1955 of leukemia caused by the atomic bomb and her monument in the Hiroshima Peace Park receives millions of paper tsurus annually as a gesture for world peace.

7. Fold 2 models of your choice, from memory.

   Answer: You choose relatively simple models (tsuru, jumping frog, boat) that you have folded several times and whose complete sequence you have mastered. — Muscle memory forms with about 10,000 repetitions according to neuroscience studies, but for simple origami movements familiarity is established in 30-50 conscious repetitions.

8. Illustrate a Bible story using various origami models.

   Answer: You choose visual stories (Noah's Ark, Daniel in the lions' den, Jonah and the fish) and fold models representing characters and elements: animals for Noah, a lion and Daniel for the den, a fish and Jonah for Nineveh. — The method of visual teaching with objects is advocated by Ellen White in 'Education' (1903), which recommends concrete pedagogical resources to fix spiritual lessons in children, an Adventist principle used in schools and Pathfinders today.