Dr. Robert Langbrings hopes of conservations through the art of origami
“I got hooked on the idea that you could make a variety of different figures from the same basic simple starting material,” said Dr. Robert J. Lang, prior to an environmental conservation press conference being held in New York on September 21. Dr. Lang, who was in charge of the conference’s backdrop (a small origami forest), was asked several questions about the art of origami and his role in its current place in society. One of the foremost origami artists and theorists in the world today, Dr. Lang is accredited with the invention of several origami figures, most notably insects and animals, which are included in the 36,000 origami figures published to this day.
The word origami, which is the name for the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, comes from the words “oru,” meaning folding, and “kami,” meaning paper. The conference in New York focused on the preservation of the world’s forests, advocating a stop to deforestation. Team Earth, who sponsored the event, and co-headed by actor Harrison Ford, was also present at the conference, playing a big role and constantly stressing the importance of stopping the majority of deforestation that takes place around the world.
Dr. Lang, when speaking of the backdrop at the conference, noted that, “chopping it down, the destruction of this will, in fact, be its completion.” Origami paper, which is not long lasting and degrades over time, was used to convey the seriousness of deforestation. “Origami is very often ephemeral. It doesn’t last. Once you have folded it, there is a question of what is going to happen to it,” said Dr. Lang. The use of origami helped to convey the fact that at the current rate of deforestation, the forests will not last, and the world will face great problems.
Dr. Lang, who is often considered the most accomplished origami artist in the western world, is confident in the future of origami, and pleased with what it has become today. “The world of origami, what people have figured out how to fold, has grown hugely so that people do things that would have been thought impossible ten years ago.” An example of this would be a figure that can take as long as 50 hours to complete and that is only possible as a result of advances in complementary areas of knowledge such as mathematics and science.
Dr. Lang feels strongly that with further advances in mathematics and technology, the art of origami will become far more intricate and elaborate. “The only thing you can say about the whole field of origami is it will become even more diverse,” he said. Origami, which has played a huge role in the world of art, is constantly pushing its limits and seeking ever more to achieve the impossible.
Many are hopeful that Dr. Lang’s rare abilities in the art will help to create awareness and recognition of the growing problem of the world’s rapid climate change as a result of deforestation. A stop to the destruction of the world’s rain forests can only be achieved through unified awareness and action against those that work to continue it.
The word origami, which is the name for the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, comes from the words “oru,” meaning folding, and “kami,” meaning paper. The conference in New York focused on the preservation of the world’s forests, advocating a stop to deforestation. Team Earth, who sponsored the event, and co-headed by actor Harrison Ford, was also present at the conference, playing a big role and constantly stressing the importance of stopping the majority of deforestation that takes place around the world.
Dr. Lang, when speaking of the backdrop at the conference, noted that, “chopping it down, the destruction of this will, in fact, be its completion.” Origami paper, which is not long lasting and degrades over time, was used to convey the seriousness of deforestation. “Origami is very often ephemeral. It doesn’t last. Once you have folded it, there is a question of what is going to happen to it,” said Dr. Lang. The use of origami helped to convey the fact that at the current rate of deforestation, the forests will not last, and the world will face great problems.
Dr. Lang, who is often considered the most accomplished origami artist in the western world, is confident in the future of origami, and pleased with what it has become today. “The world of origami, what people have figured out how to fold, has grown hugely so that people do things that would have been thought impossible ten years ago.” An example of this would be a figure that can take as long as 50 hours to complete and that is only possible as a result of advances in complementary areas of knowledge such as mathematics and science.
Dr. Lang feels strongly that with further advances in mathematics and technology, the art of origami will become far more intricate and elaborate. “The only thing you can say about the whole field of origami is it will become even more diverse,” he said. Origami, which has played a huge role in the world of art, is constantly pushing its limits and seeking ever more to achieve the impossible.
Many are hopeful that Dr. Lang’s rare abilities in the art will help to create awareness and recognition of the growing problem of the world’s rapid climate change as a result of deforestation. A stop to the destruction of the world’s rain forests can only be achieved through unified awareness and action against those that work to continue it.
Tags: north_america, team_earth
Navigation
© 2009 Created by Mark Schulte
