Origami paperfolding is an old Japanese tradition, it means something between arts, mathematics and playing for me. Especially when folding in free nature, sometimes it can reach the quality of a good meditation. Here is a choice of my favourite workings.

(click images for enlargement or animations)

A paper snail on the wall watches a mobile of cranes folded by my niece Julia.

Little triangle boxes, each about 2 x 2 cm in size. (1)

Little triangle boxes, each about 2 x 2 cm in size.

Some photos of triangle and hexagonal boxes.

A lampion shaped box. (2)

A multitile object named 'Electra' consisting of 60 tiles is build, the little animation shows the afternoon work of two people including a tea break. (3)

'Electra' rotating in a hand.

Some more 'Electra' pictures.

A little red stegosaurus. A blank sheet of paper folds like magic. (4)

Stegosaurus in 'wilderness'.

Three Pteranodons. (4)

Interfusing tetrahedrons, two or five, small or big, colored or white ...

This grasshopper is one of my favourite figures. I worked on it many times and although they got better and better from one generation to the next, each looks individual. (5)

Like this snail, most of my foldings are made of textured papers. The patterns are simply repeated handmoves, done without great thinking but as surface on origami figures they get lively.

Very complex folding and lots of dexterity is needed to wake the secret of this rose, but even if you do it in a quite mechanical way the genius of these folds you won't forget. By its inventor it is called 'Kawasaki Rose'. (6)

This variation is from Doris, she does it quite perfect. In a few minutes it blooms and it is a pleasure to follow her fingers forming it.

Another favourite of mine is the tetrahedron. You can carry it flatted in your skirtpocket and by fingertip it pops up to three dimensions. The pictured one is treated with watercolors and carvarnish. (5) How to fold a Tetrahedron

The rotating tetrahedron is not a 'pure' origami figure, the origin paperform was not a square. Despite this it is a pleasure to fold. Turning it endlessly reminds on a prayer wheel. The original version made out of three sheets of paper was created by Tomoko Fusè, this one gets by on a single sheet and was developed by Matthias Werner.

These objects were created by Matthias too, my teacher and mentor in origami.

The following models are built out of several tiles, Matthias and I created and fitted them during a bad weather period in a winter holiday.