Memories on a Convention at the end of the world I

An intense weekend. Last Friday I reached the Second Chilean Origami Convention, in the southern town of Purranque, to found about 50 persons, from several countries, already assisting to workshops, social activities and technical talks of a great level. And sharing in community in the small dorm-school of that quiet and beautiful town.

My arrival was unexpected: From the driest desert I flew thousands of km, to the forested and rainy zone of the lakes of Chile, to get a little regional bus, where their passenger helped me to know where exactly was the school and even detoured the bus to get me there (I love the countryside).

The school was empty, the door opened; a few brazilian were taken a shower and I just get installed in one of the beds on the male dorms. There we were, a real military bunk bed's dorm, the "Origami Unit".



Finally rest of the people arrived, and soon I was submerged in a fascinating group, energetic, focused on origami but deeply human nonetheless. It became an after-hour of coffe, bread and folding, after a complete day of workshoping, which extended very late in the morning. It was my first experience on this art as a collective activity, as a social thing, amazing.

Not like I've loose perspective (I've seen many things in a long life), but I realized the differences between them, the tones: modular players, born designers, enthusiastic young folders, a real hustle and bustle. And Masters Diaz and Strobl in the middle of it, simple and relaxed, enjoying happily of this animated jam-session of talking and folding.

Purranque 2007 Schedule

Here it is the programmed schedule for the Convention in Chile. As you can see, the star will be the Master Roman diaz. Idon't know what I was thinking when I've accepted to give a workshop (Kawasaki Rose, on Saturday). Anyway, with the Diaz's workshop on his gorgeous Horse I'm sure nobody'is getting mine, ha!

Purranque 2007

Next weekend in the small twon of Purranque will be the Second Chilean Origami Convention, prepared by the people of Origami Chile. I have always practiced paper folding as a self-taught and lonely discipline, in despite of having news of the chilean gang since a year, mostly because my constant travels, lectures, drinking journeys and family dinners. But finally I decided to go this year and participate. Humbly I will fold and show three models in the main exhibition (is that what means participating, don't think so?).

These three figures represents perfectly what I understand for origami: the Perry Bailey's squirrel, the Stephen O'Hanlon's Panda bear and the Anibal Voyer's horse model. The three of them acomplish the three fundamental commandments that for me a perfect origami figure should have:

1. Be simple. That is: not thousand of foldings, one over the others, in a way to force you the usage of extremely thin and resistant papers. Any figure should be possible with a regular piece of natural paper.

2. Be expressive. Beyond the realism of the model, if she is designed with talent, if it is capable of exploiding inocently the abstraction human potencial, she will get his empathy and play, waking his feellings. Origami is a play, expressivity is reached on memories, not on reason or logic.

3. Be self-sufficient. They are expressive units which don't need anymore his author or an interpretative school, it stand on its own legs and watch us with an own sense and life. The origami figure also watch you.

This is my folding of the Voyer's horse which I'll present in my corner. Is not perfect, I'm still a rookie. Details as the hoofs definetly needs more work and patience. I had to use (reluctantly) for the first time metallic paper, in order to preserve the model for the trip and the aging effects that days do to the simple models (I like them, origami should be a brief metaphor of Life and its works)

First Entry

I've been practicing origami since four years in a self-made way and consider myself just as a simple folder, standing on a point much further from the necessary to make proper expertise opinions or useful technical commentaries about this handcraft art and game. However, the hurry of the becoming for the Second Chilean Origami Convention, now on Feb 16th, and the recounting of the moments that it will provide, made me create this logbook, I'll try to contribute a little from my deep south country, Chile.

And since I don't have yet own designs, I think I will concentrate my entrys in the experience of folding and how it have helped me to get new points of view for my understanding of life, facing the changes and the different stages of it, day by day, with patience, sad moments and happy rewards. Like this image attached, one of my first attempts of the impressive Panda bear from Stephen O'Hanlon (but we will talk about that later).

The human being plays and express himself, and sometimes he does both, I'm convinced that there is the place of his maximum nature.