Origami – Not the simple frog or crane

We’ve all taken a piece of a paper and tried to fold it into something else. Growing up I used to make little paper frogs that would hop across my school desk. Once I was able to fold a crane, never to be able to repeat it again.

Richard Sweeney has taken the task of folding, cutting and creasing paper to an absolute high-art form.

The transformation of flat sheet material into three dimensional forms is my central motivation, and working with paper and synthetic sheet materials I take a hands-on approach. Using this process I can gain a better insight into the unique properties of a material, and utilise this knowledge to develop form-making techniques for hand crafted and CNC manufactured objects.

I’m highly influenced by natural form; structures in nature are very efficient, the maximum is achieved using the least material and energy possible. Growth patterns produce forms that appear very complex, yet have a basic underlying principle.

I often take an experimental approach to projects, whereby objects are created through the exploration of a particular process rather than specifying a predetermined outcome.

You can see more of his works on his flickr gallery.