積み紙の森 (tsumigami no mori)
About the title
The title of this artwork is tsumigami no mori or paper building block forest.
Japanese children play with wooden building blocks called tsumiki (積み木 - tsumiki), but since the building blocks are made from paper, the Japanese Kanji for wood (木 - ki) has been substituted with paper (紙 - kami) and combined with the Japanese Kanji for forest (森 - mori).
So we have 積み紙の森 (tsumigami no mori), which means paper building block forest.
My gratitude to Eden on Earth Art (@eden.on.earth.art) for the suggestions and feedback on the title. I am really bad with things like this :p
About the artwork
The famous American computer scientist Alan Kay said that:
“Simple things should be simple, complex things should be possible”.
There are many things in life which we categorize as being simple but very difficult to do (work/life balance anyone?), and then there are those things we put in the 'too hard basket' that we always seem to procrastinate.
When it comes to the simple things, often it is the theory that is simple. The application of said theory tends to be relatively more difficult. Sometimes almost impossible to do well without years of practice.
As for the complex things, often they are presented to us in an unnecessarily overcomplicated manner, so we should look for ways to simplify and make it possible. This could mean breaking it down to a series of simpler things, or understanding the underlying complexity and tackling it with perseverance combined with the right motivation.
積み紙の森 (tsumigami no mori) is an exhibit designed to illustrate two principles:
the power of doing simple things well
the complexity that emerges from doing simple things
I believe that these principles are great if you want to:
take a proactive and prevention-based approach to our mental health and well-being
boost productivity and creativity.
I hope that you enjoyed the display and that you are keen to put the power of doing simple things well into practice.
If you have any other questions about the display, or would like to provide any feedback or comments, please send an email to:
Below are some questions for the audience to consider, and to stimulate conversation while viewing the display.
For the young
What is origami?
What kind of things can you fold using paper?
What types of materials can you use for origami?
How do you think this display was made?
What is happening in the forest?
Can you spot the biggest tree in the forest? What about the smallest tree?
For the young at heart
When was the last time you did something creative?
What's something you used to enjoy but don't do anymore? Why?
What are some other ways to make the forest more interesting using the same type of origami modules?
For the rest of us
What is your experience or connection with origami?
What is something you can think of that is simple to do and worth doing well?
What is something you can think of that is complex, but made from very simple things?
When are you planning to do something creative by yourself / with other people?