Philip Shen: Selected Geometric Folds

36 Pages·2008·2.832 MB·English

by  Paul Jackson

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Models © the estate of Phil Shen
Diagrams © Paul Jackson
BOS booklet #18 First published by British Origami Society,
October 1982. Reprinted February 2008
Printed in the United Kingdom. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise
without the express written permission of the author and of the British Origami Society.
The British Origami Society is a registered charity 293039

www.britishorigami.info
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Philip Shen :
selected geometric folds
compiled and illustrated by Paul Jackson
Dr Shen’s paper folds reveal themselves
slowly. The more they are folded, the more
extraordinary becomes their beauty and
profundity. Therefore, be prepared to make
them many times. Do not be discouraged by
their technical difficulty or become impatient
if, initially, you find no significance in folding
them. Persevere and your efforts will be
rewarded.
I hope that after making them you will, like
me, have come to marvel at their refinement
and purity; at how, despite their rigidly
geometric construction, they are never stiff
or mechanical, but poetic, even audacious; at
how they contain no gratuitous decoration or
unwanted creases; at how, most remarkably
of all, many models are conjured from an
apparently unpromising pattern of pre-creases
in a few climactic collapsing and/or flexing
movements.
My thanks go to Dave Venables for his diligent
proof reading, to Dr Shen for his patience and
to the BOS for enabling me to indulge myself.
Paul Jackson

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CONTENTS
Introduction 5
How to Construct a ... 7
Pinwheel 8
Pavilion 10
Chinese Ding 12
Incense Burner 14
Form 15
Cup 16
Star 18
Dish - 1 20
Dish - 2 21
Container with Lid 22
Cube 24
Bowl 25
Flower 26
10 Pointed Star 28
Tetrahedron 30
Bibliography 32
Other BOS Booklets 34
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INTRODUCTION
Philip Shen was born in Manila, in the Philippines, of Chinese
descent. After an early education in Manila, he completed his
graduate studies in Theology and Religion in the U.S.A. He
has taught at Chung Chi College, Hong Kong (latterly part
of the Chinese University of Hong Kong), since 1962 and
has been its senior lecturer in Religion since 1974.
Dr Shen has written many articles in English and Chinese
on philosophy, religion and contemporary Far Eastern issues,
which have been published in Hong Kong and the U.S.A. He
has also written a few Chinese-language books on university
education, published in Hong Kong. He is a member of a few
international church bodies. Dr Shen is married with two
teenage sons.
Like many Chinese children, he often folded paper when he was young. His adult interest began
in the mid 195O’s when he was working as a Counsellor in an American summer camp and,
running out of things to teach or show the children, resorted to teaching them some paper
folds.
He wrote about his experiences, which eventually put him in contact with Jack Skillman, Lillian
Oppenheimer and Sam Randlett. Shortly afterwards, he was given a copy of Robert Harbin’s
newly published ‘Paper Magic’. Its high standard and seriousness appealed to him and helped
him to more fully recall what he knew as a boy.
In 1961 he taught an adult education course in origami at the Chicago 1MCA. This gave him the
opportunity to study the art more systematically and he began to explore creative extensions
of familiar models. He has created steadily ever since.
Dr Shen has written the following account of his creative philosophy and methods;
“I don’t create a fold but find it, hidden amongst basic geometric creases. Most of the good
ones just created themselves, emerged in the process of discovery, so there is an obviousness
or logicality about them. What I did was to simply play around with various possibilities - up,
down; back, front; mountain, valley; etc. - and let the points, lines surfaces fall into natural or
logical places in relation to one another, without letting older habits get in the way. A good
model comes into being thus by the elements coming together just rightly, in a process of
‘concrescence’ (philosopher Whitehead’s word - he is my favourite philosopher next to Plato).
What is meant by ‘rightly’*? I do not know, since each model is different, with its own ‘genius’,
‘that which makes it what it is and nothing else’. But I do look for simplicity and economy as
well as balance (which is what ‘symmetry’ means). I mean not making unnecessary folds, but
making maximum use of resources, not wasting points, lines and surfaces, not burying them
under layers of folds, etc. Most animal folds that we see, for example, tend to do that and the
three-dimensional effect, if any, is really achieved by padding, piling surfaces, lines and points
upon one another, instead of liberating them and opening up new fields, forming new relations.
A good model, to use Platonic language, should be a perfect or near perfect exemplification
of an idea, a geometric pattern perhaps? In it, the parts hold together logically, ‘obviously’ or
‘naturally’, in a whole (‘the one in the many’ philosophically speaking). They hold together
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structurally, where the tensile or resilient qualities of the paper become manifest, particularly
in curved lines and surfaces, yet without forcing. Three-dimensional origami might thus be
considered ‘structural paper folding’.
My interest is probably also influenced by my own Chinese background. There does not seem
to be much Chinese interest, for example, in folding animals, in contrast to the Japanese. The
interest rather has been more on containers, boxes, furniture, household utensils, and the like.
These are three-dimensional models making use of intersecting, rather than overlaying surfaces.
Many Chinese models start with folding the four corners ( of a square) into the centre (blintz
base). Perhaps my interest in basic crease patterns, pre-folding most of the creases then getting
them to come together in a sort of Gestalt, is also a Chinese influence, though whether it
would be more Taoist or Confucianist (eg. ‘The Book of the Mean’) I could not say.”
The ‘Container with Lid’ and ‘Cube’ have identical crease patterns, except for an optional extra
valley crease in diagram 6 of the ‘Cube’. The one is the other inside out. The ‘Tetrahedron’ at
diagram 10 is also the unit for a number of modular constructions. The ‘Cup’ and ‘Dish-2’ are
examples of models from what Dr Shen believes to be a little used Base in which 30 and 60
degree angles are used in place of the more usual 45 and 22.5 degree angles. A ‘Chinese Ding’ is
an ancient bronze vessel for carrying wine.
The following models have already been diagrammed in print:
Pinwheel, Dish-1 (British Origami No.73), Bowl (1980 Rupert Annual), See bibliography for full
references.
A few words about the diagrams. Many models contain an early pre-creasing sequence in
which the location of each crease is determined by the alignment of two distant points. Black
circles indicate which two points are to be brought together, i.e. a diagonal crease;
Often, one corner of a model is
completed well before the others. The
following pair of symbols indicate how
many times which section of the folding
sequence is to be repeated on the
remainder of the model. In this instance,
diagrams 6 to 9 are to be repeated four
times (the number of bars across the
arrow).
It proved impossible to diagram the details of the final collapsing/ flexing/
swivel movements in some of the models (e.g.: ‘Pavilion’, ‘Star’, ‘Flower’ and
‘10 Pointed Star’) with adequate clarity and simplicity, due to the complexity
of the movements involved. I hope the ‘before and after’ diagrams with added
text are sufficient to explain these difficult procedures. Persevere!
Sometimes, a crease begins and ends within a plane without reaching an edge. The ‘Form’
and diagrams 1-4 of the ‘10 Pointed Star’ contain examples of this type of crease. Be careful
not to crease beyond the points indicated, or the completed model will be scarred with
unwanted creases and may have its curved planes distorted. Dr Shen stresses the importance
of observing this rule.
Finally, it is essential to fold all the models with great accuracy, or they simply won’t hold
together when complete. Be patient!
6
7
pre-crease pre-crease
make 3D by twisting each blade in half,
moving clockwise around the model.
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Halfway... continue to twist the
blades until they lie horizontal and
interlock tightly beneath the nose to
remain in position.
complete
if released nose
downwards, the
‘Pinwheel’ will spin
slowly to the floor.
underside view, showing how
the blades interlock.
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pre-crease rabbit’s ear
lift upright
squash
petal fold
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