VI International Convention Origami Chile

Origami Chile is happy to announce its VIth International CConvention and 2nd Latin American Congress in Santiago de Chile on August 25th, 26th and 27th. Special guest will be the Masters Eric Gjerde (USA), Isa Klein (Brasil) and Aldo Marcell (Nicaragua). We want to invite all folders and interested to participate on this event and therefore celebrate a fantastic meeting of friendship and paper. Soon we will post more information about inscription, commodities and the program in our web site (http://www.origamichile.cl/).

Calling for Diagrams for the Convention Book

We invite all creators and diagramers to participate in our commemorative Convention book, where we hope to gather wonderful figures, for different levels of complexity. We want this book to keep being a window shelf for latin american (and also worldwide) and we hope to reach many different places in the world. From this edition on we want to privilege:

• Quality on the diagramming

• The use of international rules on representing folds and steps
• Original creations not published before (or at least in a window of 6 months)
• Diagrams in format Freehand, PDF o images like JPG, PNG o GIF.

We ask to send them to: convención.origamichile@gmail.com, with your name, email address, postal address and group you belong (if it is the case). Authors selected will receive a copy of the book after the Congress. The reception will be UNTIL JULY 31st 2011.

kind regards to all.

V Origami Chile Convention Book

Next Chilean Origami Convention is coming next July 29th and its commemorative book is almost ready. Here is a preliminary list with its models that I want to share with you. We are most proud an happy since again an amazing collection of figures, coming from many great authors in the world and specially from Latin America has arrived. It has been always our goal to create a document of high standards where to show the art of so many new creators to the world's community and to the Convention assistants. Its diagramming will be closing next weekend so I would like to invite you in case you want to be part of this beautiful collection and send us one or two of your diagrams. You can send them to convencion.origamichile@gmail.com
Many regards.

V Convención Internacional Origami Chile, Santiago 2010 (Conmemorative Book)

1. Love Letter (Lukyanov Andrey, Rusia)
2. Mama Crane (Jared Needle, USA)
3. Prasentation Saules (Roberto Romero, Perú)
4. Tiranosaurio (Cristián Castillo Estrada, Chile)
5. Dragón Volador (Cristián Castillo Estrada, Chile)
6. Pequeño Elefante (Paul Espinoza, Ecuador)
7. Ray (Ma Yong, China)
8. Manta Raya (Jesús Guillermo Cadena, Colombia)
9. Manta Raya (Jaime Niño, Colombia)
10. Ahh Mask (Bruno Ferraz, Brasil)
11. Zigzag Mask (Bruno Ferraz, Brasil)
12. Girafa (Bruno Ferraz, Brasil)
13. Caracol (Elmer López, Bolivia)
14. Estrella Navidad (Javier Miranda, Venezuela)
15. Fox Terrier (Julio Eduardo C T, Bolivia)
16. Herón (Dr. Michael Weinstein, USA)
17. Japanese Beetle (CP, Diego Fernando Becerra, Colombia)
18. Lesbia Victoriae (Juan Landeta, Ecuador)
19. Liebre (Julio Eduardo CT, Bolivia)
20. Itaibera (Nicolás Delgado, Bolivia)
21. Guacamayo (Alejandro Dueñas, Perú)
22. Loro Pirata (Gabriel Saavedra M, Chile)
23. Jolly Roger (Gabriel Saavedra M, Chile)
24. Perro Juguetón (Gabriel Castro Rodríguez, Colombia)
25. Hipogrifo (Duk Uqullias Erazo, Ecuador)
26. Star Bird (Sanja Srbljinović Čuček, Croacia)
27. Tarjeta Origami (Oswaldo Gutiérrez Tobón, Colombia)
28. Unicornio (Julio Eduardo CT, Bolivia)
29. Minotaur (Gilad Aharoni, Israel)
30. Casco Vikingo (Jaime Niño, Colombia)
31. Pollo Godie (Richard Jiménez, Colombia)
32. Dinosaurio (patricio Kunz, Chile)
33. Barco (Beatriz González, Chile)
34. Cruz Piramidal (Beatriz González, Chile)
35. Moai (Andrei Ermakov, Rusia)
36. Quirquincho (Edwin Claudio Flores, Bolivia)
37. Caballo (Nicolás Gajardo, Chile)

Valparaiso 2009 World Peace Cry

A year passed. An intense year. Suddenly is August, and our Annual Convention has become into a reality in the beautiful and historic port of Valparaiso. Tomorrow begins a new party with friends, a great exhibition, workshops, laughs and challenges. And it begins in the best way, with a calling for peace and the end of wars in the world.

In August 6 we remember the falling of the first atomic bomb used in war in Hiroshima on 1945, killing 120 thousand people and contaminating by radiation more than 300 thousand more... On this date all around the globe, people meets to hang simbolically paper cranes to demand their authorities the end of wars and World Peace, as the way for the future of mankind, following the example of an 11 years old girl called Sadako Sasaki, who wanted to fold 1000 cranes of paper to ask for the victims of the war and saddly died without achieving it, due to the radiation on 1955.

This Thursday we will hang thousands of cranes on an act inscribed on the World March for Peace and No Violence action. The act will be at 12:00 hrs on the square of the British Arc on Brasil Avenue, Valparaíso-Chile. If you want to join it and fold your crane, here I left the instructions, it's very simple and beautiful and we hope each one of them is a step for a the only future possible.

Here is also a map to reach the act

A Book for Latin America

One of the works I was involved this year on the III Chilean International Convention was the edition of the conmemorative book of it. We had a deep debt with many authors who had sent their works for the last year's book and weren't published because the reception was closed and the book was already been printed; several friends from Mexico, Colombia and Bolivia, among other countries.

Our Region does not have enough media nor publications to show and share the enormous work that hundreds of creators do in silence, with remarkable devotion and dedication. We decided then to put an special latin american accent on this year's book, trying to collect a wide number of works from many countries and different levels of hardness. Someway, it went beyond our craziest dreams: More than 40 models, from 11 countries, form th 130 pages of this book, where pressence of Masters Nicolas terry from France, Román Díaz from Uruguay, Daniel Naranjo from Colombia and Fernando Gilgado from Spain honore us far beyond our expectations, setting us a hard mark for next year.

With pride and humility I present here the Index of figures (in spanish), in a way to spread the existence of this beautiful book in which we put so much work and love. I want to highlight specially the gorgeous stars from a great friend and talented friend, since now unplublished: Aldo Marcell from Nicaragua, altogether with the huge group of friends from Colombia who sent us their fantastic models.

We wish this to be a contribution, our contribution, to the latin american bibliography we must build together, which reflects our work and our way, and be a testimony, among others and to History, about the art of paperfolding in our Continent.

Origami at the Edge of the world

Third International Origami Convention on Chile finished las Sunday in the southern town of Purranque and we had an incredible time. Though we were a few less than last year and we missed some deep friends that couldn't make the travel here mostly due to economical reasons everything was perfect and we experienced great moments, an exhibition with a great level, excellent workshops, an amazing book (three clues: Román Díaz, Nicholas Terry and Daniel Naranjo, among 40 other creators from more than 11 countries) and a vast number of moments to share and grow in the origami friendship.

The Exhibition.

Origamists from Chile, Colombia and Argentina arrived to Purranque to show a great group of works from several countries and a great level. Among them were the beautiful collection sent by our friends in Colombia, the works of Patricio Kunz about figures of Kamiya and his own, the modular works of Noelia Avila and Beatriz Gonzalez from Argentina and Chile, the amazing models of Nicolas Gajardo (one of our local credits), which its astonishing Hunter Eagle won the Best Figure's Prize of the Convention, the chilean Fauna models from Miguel Kaiser and many, many others. I humbly presented a large Hojio Takashi's Icarus in Aconcagua paper of 91x91 cm and a Roman Diaz's Unicorn in the same format, altogether with some old foldings.

The Workshops.

The Double Tissue Paper Workshop, given by Miguel Kaiser, the Optimized Box Pleating, from Nico Gajardo, the Flexicube of argentinean Meri Affranchino , Origami in spiral, Noelia's workshop, highlighted between many others with great results. Me, at least this year I could keep my students interested until the end of the class hehehe (excellent students also :) ).

Saturday Night Party.

Just a couple of pictures to you figure out how was it :D ...





The Trip to the National Park and Resrve of Puyehue.

Perhaps the best activity of the Convention. Taking advantage of the proximity with one of the gorgeoust and biodiverse chilean Natural Reserve, the last day of the Weekend we detined to visit the evergreen forests and the astonishing rivers of the southest corners of the world, memories we will carry on our hearts forever.

But beyond all those expriences, again the very best of this meeting were the people, it was a closed and plenty of friendship encounter, which filled up us of strength and enthusiasm for the next challenges and projects we have planned for the next years as an organization. From here I send a deep hug to all of them and wait to meet them again soon, together with the friend that couldn't make it this year.

If you wish, you can see all the pictures I took this year, on this gallery .

Many greetings to all.

Three Days to Grow Up

The Third Chilean Origami Convention is at hand and, as the last year, there will be three intense days of workshops, exposition and meeting of friends. People from Argentina, Peru, Brasil, Central América, maybe Spain, will gather the second weekend of February in the deep south of Chile, in the beautiful and easy town of Purranque on the Xth Region de Los Lagos.

I extend here the invitation to all of you to make the effort of joining this incredible experience. To travel to Chile is as hard as beautiful, but certainly worth of. Last year we shared with Masters Roman Diaz and Heinz Strobl, who made the expo a real luxury; this year the newiwill be the expedition to one of the gorgeust and most diverse Nature Reserve of the country, on the last day; we will lose in secret paths between the Evergreen woods, the hidden lakes and the thermal springs of the National Park Puyehue, at the bottom of the Andes High Mountains.





Visit Origami Chile website to join the Convention, believe me it will be quite and adventure. I'm already preparing my figures and anxiously waiting to February, to met again great friends and new ones, I leave you also the detail of the last day's Nature Raid.

Great Experiences

It's been a month since I've returned from Peru, there I assisted to Cusco's First International Origami Convention. It was the second international meeting I've gone since I decided to open myself to worldwide community. There I met wonderful people and get amazed as only travels can amaze and shake the inner world of human being.

People like Nicaraguan Aldo Marcell, who in his solitude and conviction have developed incredible figures and an impressive spirit to understand representation and nature. His work as a botanic and his fascination for observing living things (humans included) allowed me to find in him a complex and balanced aesthetic in a slightly shy but reflexive person. Here you can see a small sample of his works, his amazing modular stars and a glimpse of the table he shared with chilean Beatriz Gonzalez and argentinean Meri Affranchino in the meeting's expo.





Also I met Diego Quevedo, from Colombia, CP solver, owner of an affective and honest personality, a great friend that I hope he can make to Chile on February for our Meeting. Here dictating his workshop on Cusco.



And then there were the guys from Origami Cusco, Antarki, Roy, Omar, Johnathan (and the remaining that my memory failed), a gang which I get really fitted. Hyperactives and great sense of humor haha. It's really amazing the youth of the whole group there, however their works are at the highest level. Made me laugh a lot since they expected me like some sort of celebrity or expert :lol: Also must recognize that our difference in age worried me at the beggining, but moment to moment with a good doze of jokes we felt part of the same experience and we all enjoyed it in the same level. Their enthusiasm and naturally to face every challenge pushed me to renew my votes and look forward a year specially hard for me and when, paradoxically my practice of origami have exploded and conquer an important place in my present.

here part of the gang...



Ten years ago I travelled to Cusco, then I was at University and prepared to live life in a full throttle way ans that was one of the best experiences in my life; I'm very happy that my return allowed me to find out that, some years older and sadder, life shows to me same as before, full of beauty, humor, emotions and people. A special greetings to Roberto Romero, a man who risk himself for what he believes and puts himselfin the frontline at the moment to materialize visions and projects. His organization of this Convention was impressive and fail proof, showing me an aspect of origami as important as forgotten: his social effect.



I've started on Origami as a personal activity, even selfish; sometimes we left on our own ego and carry our challenges to try to get excellence and perfection on our folds. This meeting just wired us to Earth; we gave workshop almost daily, from schools plenty of childrens to grown women on reinsertion. I've faced my reality, I have serious difficulties to teach begginers, people interested to start like my many years ago, I had to learn on the hall (thanks to Patricio Kunz) one or two effective figures to teach; but the experience of teaching and learning at the same time I had to get it myself, beautiful and hard.

Origami is an art, since it's representation, a language on which we represent, however is also therapy and game, we do not have to forget, helps a lot of people, like it helps us all, and it is magic also, to bring out a dove from a piece of paper, to make a penguin from nothing and make dream a human being with penguins and fantasies. That was the best I brought from Cusco, a real lesson I intend to use.

I've plublished the few pictures that I could rescue from my camera, also you can visit the web of Origami Cusco, there you can see the wonderful figures and moments we shared on Peru.