Street View

Teaming up with origami theorists from MIT

Origami, the art of folding paper, is a frontier of mathematical mystery. The world’s brightest minds still can’t fully prove how some of the rules work. We met with origami theorists Erik and Martin Demaine, a father and son duo who create impossibly intricate curved-crease sculptures. One of their works, “Solve Me,” is on display in our Hong Kong office.

The Demaines are based out of MIT and have been working together to create these mathematically complex sculptures since 2008. The process of creating “Solve Me” left the artists with new math puzzles and problems they hadn’t thought about before, which may direct future research at MIT.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at how “Solve Me” was created:

an abstract sculpture made out of folded paper with intricate curves and creases
detail shot of an abstract sculpture made out of folded paper with intricate curves and creases
digital design of a black grid with letters, used for printing on the papers that comprise the sculpture
detail shot of an abstract sculpture made out of folded paper with intricate curves and creases
Interior view of an office with an abstract paper sculpture displayed on a podium. On the adjacent wall, two framed images showcase the paper materials used in the creation of the sculpture.