Chinese unit origami bowl.

Another Chinese unit post.

I'm a big fan of this unit and really feel it doesn't get the attention it deserves. But then neither does 'regular' modular origami in my opinion. This is an incredibly versatile unit and once assembled is very strong unless pulled apart. I realise that sounds contradictory but hopefully the rest of the post will prove my point.

I'd been knocking around an idea for a while to build a vase of some description with units folded from the free fast food flyers regularly posted through my letter box. The paper was always gareshly coloured and fairly stiff and I was sure I could but together something nicely patterned and structually sound..... I probably could have, but instead this is what I ended up with.

Step 1.

Cut up and fold lots of units.













Step 2.

Assemble two layers of 25 units each in a circular interlocking pattern













Step 3.

Repeat.

Add another two layers.













Step 4.

Finish bowl.

Build up as many layers as you think necessary then finalise with a top layer where the unit is 'backwards'.













Step 5.

This is where I prove its strong. The white things are Go stones (Chinese Weiqi) in effect the bowl is full of smooth white rocks.













So not quite the vase I'd originally envisioned but more practical. I'm sure I'll return to my original idea at some point.

Resurrection

I've been debating for some time whether I should resurrect this blog. I'm still out there getting annoyed with the origami 'community' especially in the UK and still folding everything from recycled fast food leaflets to complex beetles in Japanese foil coated washi.

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine around blogging, new media and specialist interest groups and have been newly convinced that the free and frank exchange of ideas and knowledge is what the internet is built on. So in that vain, here I am, we'll see how long I last this time.