Photo above: Blue Mosque
During a recent holiday to Istanbul, Turkey (which is also one of the most popular places to explore these days), I discovered a striking similarity between origami and the beautiful mosques and palaces that I visited. The Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, and Rüstem Pasha Camii all had its own distinct beauty and character, but it is quite evident there is one element that binds them together – their geometric structures. And because origami is comprised of geometric shapes as well, we can relate Islamic art to origami.
Additionally, it cannot be coincidental that the beautiful geometry designed on these architectural gems somehow parallel origami tessellations. Similar to origami, architecture is also one of the few art forms that combine both subjects of math and art to construct the unimaginable. So it should be no surprise that we discover origami folding patterns in Islamic architecture.
One final element that makes me love Islamic architecture even more – the symbolism. The creators of the mosques and palaces had this one particular symbolism behind these endless geometric patterns – that they evoke the idea of limitless boundaries and express an enduring spiritual life. As these big and bold architectural gems created lasting legacies, I hope origami continues to flourish and grow into its own.
Photo above: Topkapı Palace
Photo above: Rüstem Pasha Camii
To learn more about origami tessellations and Islamic Design, go out and grab a copy of Eric Gjerde’s book, Origami Tessellations, while you’re at it, take a look at his blog.
Photo above: thiomor’s flickr
Photo above: by Christine Edison
Photo above: by Yoshi, who we featured in a previous post
I found some origami designs here that I want to reverse engineer and put into a computer program for math equations on an design project. Any suggestions on where or how to do this.