Gabriel Frampton

Statement

My origami work is an attempt to give ideal mathematical forms physical representation. Through years of experimentation, I developed a new method of weaving strips together to create geometrical shapes. This approach has the advantage of offering physical strength to the finished designs, which in effect become tensegrity sculptures. My designs draw from the topology of knots, translating a set of interlocking loops into flat strips of varying lengths. Originally I worked in paper, but have moved to more durable materials as the complexity of the designs increased. My current works use Dura-Lar film, which is large and strong enough to make polyhedra a meter in diameter.

Artworks

This modular origami is comprised of 150 woven strips, without any adhesives used. Each strip is a narrow rectangle made from a row of equilateral triangles. The form is an icosahedron shell, with ⅔ of the central volume removed. Each face of the icosahedron has a hollow tetrahedron from which three fins radiate, forming a structure reminiscent of a Celtic knot. This geometry is very rigid, which makes the origami exceptionally strong.