Annie Rau ’19
The Create, Fold, Twist paper workshop was held in the gallery from October 22nd to November 29th. The show featured two artists, Allison Villani and Michael Shannon. Villani is a sculptor, book artist and teacher, and Shannon is an origami artist. A purist, Shannon folds animals, bugs, boxes, and amazing shapes out of one piece of paper, never using glue or scissors. He presented work that he has designed himself as well as creations following the designs of masters such as Robert Lang, Fumiaki Kawahata, and more.
Shannon held an interactive and instructive workshop on November 6th, and showed an Honors 3-D Design class how to fold and create paper cranes. Shannon visited many different art classes, including an Honors 3-D Design Class. Hilary Hutchison, the Honors 3-D Design Teacher says, “It is always interesting to hear artists talk about their career path, creative interest, and their process of art making, and having Michael Shannon here in the studio to share his methods and enthusiasm for origami was a real treat.”
Shannon tells classes about his start in origami: “My journey into the world of origami began when I was around nine or 10 years old. I had already been making paper airplanes and the standard boats out of letter sized paper when a group of kids at my school showed me how to make a water bomb (balloon) and from that moment I was in love.” Shannon adds, “I immediately learned what the art was called and went to my local library and borrowed as many origami books as I could get my hands on. I clearly remember struggle and frustration the first time I tried to make a simple origami crane without ripping the paper. Once I conquered that model, my thirst for new models and techniques was insatiable.”
Shannon told Hutchison’s Honors 3-D design class that his passion with origami is not so much the final product but rather the journey one takes to arrive at the completed model. “There are many models I have folded over and over again both to improve the end result but also to simply experience the sequence of folds again. It’s like reading your favorite book or watching your favorite movie over and over.”
Shannon is currently designing his own models and seeking out super complex models, attending conventions around the world and teaching the art in various ways. He will continue to practice, in pursuit of the perfect fold.