Behind the Cover: Our Origami-Inspired Ori Series

Every Paperblanks book is inspired by world art and culture, by traditional craft and practice, and by visionaries, rebels and artists across the ages. Behind the Cover is a blog series about the origins of our designs.

“Only by folding one piece of paper an expressive masterpiece can be created. This is the Japanese way of folding. In order to link the past with future generations regarding the form of folding, I do not limit myself to the category of origami but consider the pursuit of any possibility of folding paper.” – Yuko Nishimura

Japanese paper artist Yuko Nishimura fuses origami and origata in her art. Origami, the art of paper folding, and origata, the art of gift wrapping, date back to the Edo and Muromachi periods. Traditional art forms in Japan, these techniques have only recently come together on the world stage.

Folding is an everyday practice in this part of the world, where from familiarity is born innovation, experimentation and a finely honed craft. Though origami and origata are ancient arts, they have experienced a modern resurgence, thanks in large part to leaders of the contemporary art movement.

This paper folding renaissance can be traced back to the early 1900s when artists like Akira Yoshizawa (considered to be the grandmaster of Japanese origami) began recording their original origami works. This traditional art became something that an artist could make personal and put his or her own stamp on, and the form evolved into the origami that we know today. In fact, origami has become so popular that copyrighting is now a very real concern, as the need to separate traditional designs from original works of art grows in our digital age of easy reproduction.

We are honoured to work with contemporary paper artist Yuko Nishimura in order to reproduce some of her signature paper tessellations for our Ori series. In her relief works, Ms. Nishimura’s folded curves and straight lines suggest formal structure and the creative impulse.

Please visit yukonishimura.com to learn more about Ms. Nishimura and her art.

Click here to find our Ori series in a store near you

About Paperblanks: At Paperblanks, we believe that art should have a place in all aspects of life. That’s why we follow the artist’s way in everything we do – creating, crafting and releasing designs we believe have the power to touch people. For more about Paperblanks, go to our website at paperblanks.com.