SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, 2005 10AM-4PM


$55 : Please RSVP by 10.28.05

To reserve your place, please make checks out to

"The Endowment for Experiential Architecture" and mail to:

Materials & Applications
1619 Silver Lake Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

We will send you a receipt, directions on how to get to the workshop, and a complete description of the event.

We will meet at the Council District 13 community room and stay there for the day.

Here is the address of the community room:

3525 Sunset Boulevard

Los Angeles, California 90026



Lecture and Workshop:
Origami in Science, Art, and Technology
with Robert J. Lang

This workshop explores the connections between origami, the art of paper-folding, and the worlds of science, mathematics, and technology. The last decade of this past century has been witness to a revolution in the development and application of mathematical techniques to origami, the centuries-old Japanese art of paper-folding. The techniques used in mathematical origami design range from the abstruse to the highly approachable.

This workshop consists of two parts:

Part I (2 hours) focuses on the mathematical underpinnings of origami and how mathematical concepts have contributed to an astonishing advancement of the art, I will describe how geometric concepts led to the solution of a broad class of origami folding problems – specifically, the problem of efficiently folding a shape with an arbitrary number and arrangement of flaps, and along the way, enabled origami designs of mind-blowing complexity and realism, some of which you’ll see, too. As often happens in mathematics, theory originally developed for its own sake has led to some surprising practical applications. The algorithms and theorems of origami design have shed light on long-standing mathematical questions and have solved practical engineering problems. I will discuss examples of how origami has enabled safer airbags, Brobdingnagian space telescopes, and more. This portion of the workshop will take the form of a presentational lecture, with the audience invited to try out folding at several points during the presentation.

Part II (2 hours) is a less-formal, more hands-on exploration of some of the most significant origami structures that find applications in technology, including unfolding telescopes, medical implants, and more. The audience will receive folding patterns for various structures and will learn how to fold and manipulate them themselves, and perhaps develop their own variations. Forms to be studied include structures used for solar panels, medical implants, containers, and more, with selections taken from actual industrial applications.

Paper and folding patterns will be provided.

Who should attend:

Anyone with an interest in origami; the ties between science and art; recreational mathematicians; and industrial designers and engineers who work with manipulations of surfaces.

About the presenter:

Robert J. Lang is recognized as one of the foremost origami artists in the world as well as a pioneer in computational origami and the development of formal design algorithms for folding. With a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Caltech, he has, during the course of work at NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Spectra Diode Laboratories, and JDS Uniphase, authored or co-authored over 80 papers and 45 patents in lasers and optoelectronics as well as 8 books and a CD-ROM on origami; over 100 of his original origami compositions have been published in books and magazines. He has exhibited his artwork in exhibitions in New York, Paris, and Tokyo. He is now a full-time artist and consultant on origami and its applications to engineering problems. Check out his web site at langorigami.com.