Folded Planes

About

Folded-plane objects begin as flat sheets of paper, metal, plywood or plastic and gain strength and form from being creased or bent rather than cut and assembled. A fold stiffens a thin sheet enough for it to stand.

Paper folding has deep roots in Japanese origami, and Josef Albers made folding exercises part of his Bauhaus preliminary course, showing students how one sheet could become structure. Jean Prouvé's workshop folded sheet steel into furniture legs and building panels, and Ellsworth Kelly bent painted aluminium into free-standing and wall sculptures such as Pony (1959). Lygia Clark's Bichos, begun in 1960, are hinged metal plates that viewers can refold into new shapes. In design, Ron Arad bent springy steel sheets into the Well Tempered Chair (1986). Good examples keep the logic of the sheet visible: constant thickness, crisp creases and forms that could be unfolded back to a flat pattern.