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'Surface to Structure: Folded Forms' Exhibit Features 120 Origami Pieces and an Indiegogo Campaign

By erika - May 12, 2014

in Exhibitions

"Shakti" by Joel Cooper

With NYCxDesign underway and ICFF and WantedDesign just around the corner, some of our readers are probably dealing with the delicate matter of transporting products and prototypes this week. Transferring the artwork/installation/exhibition from Point A to Point B is one thing, but making sure that nothing is damaged in the process is perhaps the concern. When it comes to a showcase featuring 120 works of origami, you've got yourself a whole new meaning for "precious cargo." Beginning on June 19, the Cooper Union will host Surface to Structure: Folded Forms—an exhibition featuring 120 pieces of origami from 80 contemporary origami artists that's looking to get a little crowdsourced love to help offset travel expenses.

"St. Michael – The Archangel" by Tran Trung Hieu

"Dreamer" by Giang Dinh

The exhibition's organizers are working on an Indiegogo campaign to raise the necessary roundtrip transportation funds to get the work safely from and back to the artists—who are located in 16 different countries worldwide—post-show. (This campaign brought me back to Sipho Mabona's successful attempt at Kickstarting a life-size origami elephant fold with one piece of giant paper.) The last time the Cooper Union housed an exhibit of this kind was back in 1959 for the Plane Geometry and Fancy Figures showcase—which turned out to be the first origami show in the United States.

Check out the campaign video:

The exhibit will also feature of a small number of pieces folded by artists featured in the 1959 showcase. Aside from the more traditional folded forms, the campaign promises that some of the designs will "push the boundaries of this artform beyond its traditional perceptions." If the idea isn't enough to persuade you to chip in, the contributor perks boast some pretty rad take-aways: printed mugs with origami fold designs, full-color 12-month calendars, exhibition catalogues and LED-lit origami designs (among other cool trinkets). You can contribute to the campaign here.