ORIGAMI AND KIRIGAMI: ART AND CULTURE AS A RECREATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE

We can know a people through their cultural and artistic assets. One of the many aspects of Japanese culture is origami, a fusion of the verb “oru”, which means folding, with the word “kami” meaning paper. In this communication, we describe the course “Origami and Kirigami: art and culture as a recr...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Kobayashi, Maria do Carmo Monteiro, Yamada, Thais Regina Ueno
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2013
Country:Brasil
Institution:Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP)
Repository:Revista Ciência em Extensão
Language:Portuguese
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs-new.unesp.br:article/894
Online Access:https://ojs.unesp.br/index.php/revista_proex/article/view/894
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Origami. Kirigami. Japanese recreational objects. Leisure and educational resources.
Origami. Kirigami. Objetos lúdicos japoneses. Recurso lúdico y educativo.
Origami
Kirigami
Objetos lúdicos japoneses
Description
Summary:We can know a people through their cultural and artistic assets. One of the many aspects of Japanese culture is origami, a fusion of the verb “oru”, which means folding, with the word “kami” meaning paper. In this communication, we describe the course “Origami and Kirigami: art and culture as a recreational and educational resource”. The course aimed to present these two oriental techniques based on paper and its potential as a source of entertainment and education, at the same time seeking to introduce cultural aspects of these arts of folding and/or cutting paper. This practice is more common than we realize, and is present in our day-to-day life when we perform actions such as folding clothes and papers, and making packages, amongst others. However, few are aware of the benefits that this folding brings to the fields of Arts, Mathematics, and Science, besides its recreational characteristics. Kirigami is a mixed technique that in addition to using folds in the paper (as in origami) also uses cuts (“kiru” – meaning, “cut”). It can be performed with heavier paper than origami, and by introducing some cuts, the paper can be folded to form the desired shape. It is a simple technique, with impressive results. We conducted eight weekly meetings, each lasting four hours, totaling 32 hours of coursework. In addition to the classes, a visit was made to the Okinawa Club in Bauru (São Paulo), where it was possible for the students of the course and the elderly group (fujinkai) of origamists of the club to exchange experiences. Finally, an exhibition was organized to display the artifacts produced by the course participants and disseminate the work of the students.