The Art of Origami.

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As a primary school student, I was introduced to the art of origami, “a form of paper art where folding is the primary technique to achieve an effect.” (Joseph Wu). It is an art form that has most commonly been associated with Japanese culture and recognized as a traditional Japanese art, however it is widely believed by various scholars and artists that paper folding began sometime in the first century AD in China, and only began in Japanese culture upon the introduction of paper to Japan in the 6th century. Regardless of its true origins, origami has become an important aspect of Japanese culture and the art form can still be seen today in Japan and throughout the world. Origami has developed throughout the years, from recreational paper folding, to the use of origami as an educational tool. Wikipedia gave a brief overview of the history of the art of paper folding. It was on this site that I learnt that the word origami is a compound of two separate Japanese words, ‘ori’ meaning ‘to fold’ and ‘kami’ meaning ‘paper’. Wikipedia also gives a short outline of the introduction of paper to Japan and thus the development of origami in Japanese culture. The site was helpful in that it gave me a starting point for further research on the topic; it is not a site I would rely on heavily for reliable information. The reference links on Wikipedia proved to be more beneficial to my research than any of the information actually contained within the site. I found the website for The British Origami Society through the reference links on Wikipedia. It was the most informative site and I found it useful in backing up any information I had obtained from Wikipedia. Scanning the front page of the website, I discovered a man named David Lister who was recognized as an ‘Origami Historian’. The site contains copious amounts of short essays and opinion pieces written by Lister

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