Mark Bolitho

Origami Projects Mark Bolitho

Origami Projects is a collection of the early works of Mark Bolitho, with most of the featured models having been developed in the late 1970s to early 1980s. They came out of a time when there were very few origami books available and, despite its ancient origins, was the beginning of modern more complex origami. It was, at the time relatively easy to come up with new designs by doodling or experimenting with repeatable patterns. Many of the models have been made organically. The Dinosaur and Dragon are made using similar folding techniques, this is then further developed in the Scorpion and Crab. The methodology of opening the point and squashing seems obvious and yet I haven't seen it replicated. This base is further developed in the follow up booklet "More Origami Projects", which includes a squirrel and a more advanced scorpion. The collection also features some of my favourite designs, the flying goose is an action model. The hexahedron has a delightful mechanism and resolves and concludes neatly by tucking a tab into a pocket. Both of these models have an organic folding sequence that resolves to a point where no further folds can be made, the models appear to be complete. This is a principle I revisit in "Creaselightning" and my presentation at The Seventh International meeting of Origami in Science, Maths, and Education; (7OSME) in 2018. The Hexahedron, Puffa Fish, flying bird and four-legged box share a common feature as they are all 3D and are fully rendered, unlike the dragon, badger and Tyrannosaur. These models are 2D, effectively flat models, whereas the first examples have no open spaces.