CFC6 Ann Arbor
The Conference
The Sixth Conference for Creators occurred in Ann Arbor, USA, hosted by Beth Johnson.
From May 13th, until the 21st, we had a packed week with activities, all about and around the art of paper folding!
For the first time, the conference lasted 4 days. Another first was the folding workshops we had, one per day, to break the monotony of the talks.
With 44 participants, CFC6 included 15 talks, 6 panels, 7 discussions, and 3 hands-on workshops. All dealt with the many faces of paper-folding, like papers, design techniques, the CFC as a community, the CFC site, and many other issues.
On the fifth day, we had a paper-making workshop, with Matt Laboon, who genuinely, shared with us his vast knowledge about the topic.
12 of us continued to Uncle Bob's cottage on the lakeside, for two more days, giving us the chance to get to know each other and develop new friendships and connections in a non-binding environment.
CFC6 moments
Running Advent of Tess, Talk by Madonna Yoder
"I'll talk about the behind-the-scenes process of running a popular online origami event, including deciding on the patterns, marketing efforts, monetization, tech tips, paper sales and packaging, and community engagement. This will be focused on my experience running Advent of Tessellations for the last four years, which has averaged over 1000 sign-ups per year, and there will be time for questions at the end. Basically, it'll be a case study of the event, why it became the economic engine of my business, and what lessons could be transferred to other events."
From Origami Tessellations to the Cosmic Web Talk by Mark Neyrinck
What connects the world of paper tessellation and the structure of galaxies?
The Borders of Origami, Discussion led by Ilan Garibi
What are the borders of origami? Is every folded paper automatically included? Who is a creator, and what is considered an original work? Many questions, some answers!
Can Origami be a Path to Wisdom? Talk by Nicolas Terry
Can origami be the path to wisdom? Is folding paper only that, or may it be a way to reach insights about the world and ourselves?
Folding Fivefold Geometry Talk by John Szinger
A talk about the use of pentagonal symmetry in origami and the geometry that develops from it, its unique challenges and opportunities it affords. The talk will have examples of models with photos and crease patterns. Models will include single-sheet polyhedra of the dodecahedron family as well as tessellations including mandalas, fractals, and Penrose tiling. Very interesting, and lots of fun for everyone!
From Paper to Platform: The Next Generation of Origami Talk by Boice Wong
The origami community is rich with talented folders and passionate leaders, but reaching the next generation requires meeting them where they already are — online. This talk explores social media influence, converting viral content, and intentional community building to convert casual viewers into dedicated folders.
Book Publishing Talk and Panel by Ekaterina Lukasheva
A discussion about book publishing in the modern days. Kate shared her expertise, and a few more panelists helped her gain insights into the process.
With John Montroll, Nicola Terry, Boice Wong, and Robert Lang.
(The PDF is NOT available)
What Comes after Mastering the Technique? Talk by Nicolas Terry
Why are great artists disappearing after mastering the technique? Nicolas will give his take on the issue.
Folded Vessels Talk by Goran Konjevod
(video will come later)
Origami and AI - Project We Should Have Discussion by Ilan Garibi
What international project should we make, and which of those can benefit from the AI tools?
Exhibition Models' Review
Each artist talks about a piece of his.
Flexicube and Yoshimoto Cube Experiments Talk by Dave Brill
Brief history of the Flexicube, plus inspirations the Yoshimoto Cube series
Exhibitions and Galleries Panel led by Ilan Garibi
Everything you should know about participating in an exhibition and seeking galleries. Artist statements, CVs, calls for artists, etc. Panel members included Robert Lang, James Peak, and Goran Konjevod. The unseen speaker is Ilan Garibi, hidden thanks to his being responsible for framing the video camera...
Teaching at Different Ages and Skill Level Panel led by Ronik Bhaskar
A spontaneous panel with Kathleen SHERIDAN, Jason SCHNEIDER, James PEAKE, and Winston LEE, led by Ronik Bhaskar
Computational Design of 22.5: Spectral Embedding Archive in Rational Crease pattern Hyperspace (SEARCH) Talk by Brandon Wong
The computational design of uniaxial 22.5 crease patterns has been a long unsolved problem. The discrete nature of the 22.5 system cannot be easily adapted to fit conventional circle packing techniques, and the presence of irrational √2 terms in 22.5 geometry provides further complications. In this talk, I will present my recent work on computational uniaxial 22.5, in which the system does: (1) pre-generates millions of random packings/crease patterns/trees, in a 4D system to avoid floating point errors, then (2) uses the eigenvalues of the trees as an embedding vector to quickly search the database for the closest tree to the user's query. All relevant math concepts will be explained; no prior knowledge is necessary. Also, this talk can be done in conjunction with the other one I proposed if there is not enough time for both.
Origami and Post-Secondary Math Education Talk by Brandon Wong
Most discussions of origami in math education center around geometric intuition for young students, occasionally reaching the level of high school geometry (ex: Haga's theorem, etc.) but rarely further. However, most people (including many folders) do not realize that the math of origami goes deep into the world of higher education, including constrained nonlinear optimization, Boolean algebra, quaternions, 22.5 as a quadratic field extension, and spectral graph theory. The connection of these abstract concepts to the tangible medium of origami provides a valuable context and motivator for students studying these branches of mathematics. In this talk, I will use visual math animations to walk through a few of these lessons involving the use of higher math in origami.
Beneath the Surface: Making Waves into the Aquarium Hobby with Origami Talk by Winston Lee
The Role of Origami in Real life Discussion led by Beth Johnson
Why are so few origami artists activists, and using their art to make political or any other type of statements? This question led to a deeper discussion about the bubble that seems to surround the origami world.
(PDF will be added soon)