Origami "Fireworks"

This is an origami model I folded the other day called Fireworks. It consists of 12 modules, or pieces of square paper folded together to complete the model. The model is an action model created by Yami Yamauchi, who is an expert folder from Taiwan.

Origami is a paper art which involves folding paper into models without cutting or gluing. The word “origami” is used extensively in all languages today and comes from the Japanese word “oru” which means to fold and “kami” which means paper.

Origami is so amazing because you can fold just about anything you can think of out of paper! An example of this is someone once made a carbon dioxide molecule folded out of a single piece of paper. I have also seen many interesting plants folded out of a single piece of paper! My favorite model is a kraken (mythical beast-like squid) attacking a 17th century style ship, all folded from a single piece of paper.

Although origami can be complicated, it is also something everyone can do. For example, there are many models that are not as complicated as they seem. They are actually very simple. An example of this is a website called Origami Club. It is in Japanese but has many simple, easy diagrams to understand even if you don’t know the language.

There are models that are folded from rectangular paper, hexagon shaped paper and circular paper. There are models of all shapes and sizes. There is even an arch made from 670 pieces of square paper!

With origami, you can explore your creativity and imagination. All it takes is a piece of paper, your hands, and your creative mind!
—Stephen