This article was taken from the March 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Most people's origami talents don't stretch further than a paper plane; Ilan Garibi, however, uses it to build sculptures. The 50-year-old Israeli artist has been creating intricate sculptures from paper for 39 years, and is now broadening his horizons by using wood and metal. "It became a quest for me to try and find as many materials as possible that are not naturally folded," he says. "Then I try to fold them."
Bending metal ordinarily requires Hulk-like strength, so Garibi uses a laser cutter to slice into the sheet just deep enough along the fold line to allow him to manipulate it with his bare hands (gloved, to avoid fingerprints). "You can fold almost any kind of material," he says. "Just look at it long enough and
you'll find the right way to fold it."
Garibi's Infinity Wall is a 46-metre-long structure of folded metal displayed at Bavli Park in Tel Aviv. After two weeks of planning, Garibi and his team assembled it out of 26 1mm-thick stainless-steel plates.
Next up, he's working on a new installation for a hotel in Tel Aviv, and is expanding his origami jewellery line. A paperless future beckons.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
