Origami - Not Just for Fun Anymore

From the time he was a child, Robert Lang was passionate about rendering beautiful figures from nothing but a square of paper. In 2004 he became a full-time origami artist, after nearly three decades as a physicist and engineer, during which he authored or co-authored over 80 technical publications and was awarded 40 patents involving semiconductor lasers, optics, and integrated optoelectronics. Robert Lang is recognized as a master in the rarified world of origami artists.

Origami comes from the Japanese words for folding (ori) paper (gami). His skill in folding origami and in mathematics led him to become one of the pioneers of a type of origami known as origami sekkei, or "technical origami” in which computer algorithms aid in the creation of crease patterns for highly complex sculptures. He uses geometry, trigonometry, algebra, calculus and graph theory in the process of creating his art.

"The cool thing about origami is that it is a very mathematical art. In many arts, there’s pure artistic skill. In origami, it’s almost half and half. You can do things with pure art, you can do things with pure math, but if you put them together, you get far more satisfying results than either one alone."

—Robert Lang

Lang and other scientists use origami to help solve engineering problems — especially those problems related to fitting large objects into small spaces. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California wanted to build a really big telescope (about the size of a football field) and send it into outer space. It was an interesting idea, but the cargo space in the rocket is only about as big as a school bus. Lang and other scientists thought origami might provide a solution for folding the telescope so that it could fit into the rocket. Lang hit on a design that opens and closes similar to the way a collapsible umbrella folds and unfolds. This design would allow a large telescope to be collapsed into a bundle just a few meters across.

At Science & Art, you can get up close to Robert Lang’s amazing creations. See and appreciate his skill and artistry and gain a sense of the deep connection between origami and geometry. The gallery area will include origami sculptures that represent the breadth of Lang's work, as well as nformation about origami and its connection to geometry.