Origami exchange

dani luddington · Post by **dani luddington** » July 30th, 2005, 10:27 pm

deleted

Post by **TheRealChris** » July 30th, 2005, 11:01 pm

I don't think, this forum is the right place to ask for these mailing idea. I mean, why should somebody from America send a folded model to Vietnam? it's way to expensive. and people from the same country build their folding communities anyway. there are surely a lot of folders, that don't have much contact to other folders in the world. but my experiences where, that they wanted to fold something with other people, to learn new tricks, or just to have fun. of course it's nice to get a folded model (I have a glass cabinet filled with folded models from other origamists), but I wouldn't send anything overseas. did I mention, that it's too expensive??? I have my contacts here in Germany, and I don't think, it will be very productive to send out models to other folders in the world.

Christian

dani luddington · Post by **dani luddington** » July 30th, 2005, 11:17 pm

what i meant about the question of sending overseas, was: a person could "specify" if they would be willing or not. i suspect most wouldnt. it was an option, like everything else in this world. i on the other hand would be willing to send overseas or the U.S. then you would match up folks in the same countries if they cant afford or dont want to send overseas.. but nevermind, i guess it was a stupid idea, although it works on every other group i have ever been in. i thought we were openminded on here. sigh dani
crawling back to my corner of the folding community, alone.

Joseph Wu · Post by **Joseph Wu** » July 30th, 2005, 11:38 pm

This is a great idea, and has been done many times in the past. Especially in the 60's and the 70's, when there was no easy way of sending images to each other, this method was the source of much of the early origami explosion in creativity.

More recent attempts at it have tended to fizzle out, however. I guess it all depends on how committed the group is to continuing this process. Good luck!

dani luddington · Post by **dani luddington** » July 31st, 2005, 1:26 am

sorry i realized i opened this is the wrong place, but am not sure how to change it over to general? dani

Post by **TheRealChris** » July 31st, 2005, 1:52 am

but am not sure how to change it over to general?

did it

Christian

dani luddington · Post by **dani luddington** » July 31st, 2005, 2:14 am

just a side note if an idea like this could ever get off the ground, i would not have everyones address, you personally would exchange it with your partner. (smiles) dani

malachi · Post by **malachi** » July 31st, 2005, 2:22 am

Another, similar, idea would be to build a large scale modular project using units sent in by many different people. The origami_club on live journal has done this a couple of times, usually with PHiZZ or Sonobe style units from 15cm/6" paper, but they have usually done fairly small scale things with only 30 or so modules.

I'd love to see something like that with more ambition... I mean, who wouldn't like to see something with 900 units?

wolf · Post by **wolf** » July 31st, 2005, 2:51 am

A similar thing has been done with paper instead of finished models, where people exchange a variety of different papers. Paper is generally easier to mail than finished models, so I think it might have been more successful.

"All the paper you want! Turn five sheets into thousands in a week! Just mail one sheet to each of the five addresses below!"

thedeadsmellbad · Post by **thedeadsmellbad** » July 31st, 2005, 10:04 am

I would be very interested in this.
After 20 years of folding,
I have never seen an origami model by someone else in person,
nor have I ever met a fellow folder.
It sounds like fun.

FunkeeFolder · Post by **FunkeeFolder** » July 31st, 2005, 9:40 pm

I think it would be fun too. I would love to see someone elses work. Also it would be kinda cool to send something I made! The paper thing would be good to. So if you want a sheet or two of some paper you've never used, and they want some paper they never used it would be perfect!

Funkee Folder

bshuval · Post by **bshuval** » August 1st, 2005, 4:33 am

Dani,

First off, I think your idea is great.

Your idea has been done in the past. In fact, the British Origami Society grew out of the "Origami Portfolio Society." They were a list of interested folders. They had an list, and each member, upon receiving the portfolio, would take out his entry, and insert his new entry, and then send it on the the next person on the list. Someone, of course, kept track of the list.

The Origami Portfolio Society was founded by Sidney French, in 1965. The first portfolio included only four items when it started its round, with the idea that it would build itself. The first round had 12 members. The portfolio also included a notebook, where members wrote about themselves and recent activites.

As the portfolio grew, Sidney French had to divide the portfolio geographically.

A good source for information on the Portfolio can be found in BOS booklet 3, "The History of Paper Folding in Britain." This is a fascinating read in and of itself.

Today there are still some portfolios about. John Cunliffe founded ELFA in the late 80's, and they distribute several portfolios among their members.

There was once also an APA (Amateur Press Alliance) called FOLD, which had a limited membership of 20 members. This was a bit different, and each member of FOLD had to write at least 2 pages every two months, and submit to the editor. The editor sent these out to members. These included diagrams, recent activities, folded models, and more. FOLD had a very long list of people waiting to join, so another APA was founded in 1993, imagiro. Since then, FOLD has, well, folded, but imagiro is still going strong (currently with a full capcity of 20 members). Of course this is not exactly what you had in mind, nor is it a portfolio, but it is a fun magazine. Having a limited distribution opens it to things we cannot do on a large scale, such as attach a folded model with your submission, or send samples of paper, etc.

I should say that in the 60's and 70's, many folders corresponded by sending each other folded models, and even step folds. I have seen some of this correspondence myself. People would send pictures of exhibitions or model, folded models, and more.

Finally, I think it is fun to receive a model in the mail! Personally I have had the pleasure to receive a few models in the mail. For example, I once sought ought a person, an old-timer in the origami world, and contacted her by sending her a snail-mail letter (she doesn't have internet). I received a letter in reply, with lots of goodies inside. The letter said "Bear with me" on the outside, with the Bear folded from paper!
When I send an origami person a letter, I try to include a folded model inside. I think it's fun to open a letter and see something folded inside.