A group of origami experts from around the world will descend on Portland in September, when the 2019 Pacific Coast OrigamiUSA Convention takes place in Northeast Portland.
If the very idea of origami seems frivolous, consider Robert Lang, a Stanford-trained NASA physicist turned full-time origami practitioner, whose work on the mathematical aspects of the art of paper folding has led to its application in engineering solutions to real-world problems. Among those problems solved: Lang used his origami knowledge to design a way to fit a large eyeglass lens attached to a space telescope into a small rocket by folding it in such a way that it could expand, intact, inside the rocket after takeoff.
Lang will be among the workshop teachers at this year’s conference. Also featured will be renowned origami expert and mathematics professor Toshikazu Kawasaki, whose copyrighted one minute rose origami design is featured below.
Several other teachers will be on hand at the two-day event, including a handful from Spain and Portugal.
The conference will include an origami exhibit, free and open to the public, that features the work of Kawasaki, Lang and many others.
“A lot of people view origami as a child’s activity,” said Yuki Martin, a conference organizer who teaches the craft in schools and assisted living facilities in the Portland area. “It’s a lot more than that.”
As many men practice origami as women, Martin said: “It’s about 50-50.”
The Japanese Garden of Portland will host a smaller, curated exhibit of origami that will run in conjunction with the conference. Both exhibits will feature world class practitioners of the craft.
The conference will be held Sept. 12-15 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Northeast Portland. Registration for the conference is open and can be found here.
-- Beth Nakamura
Twitter: @bethnakamura
Instagram: @bethnakamura