Kirigami Home Decorations. Florence Temko

Basket 34 Paper Quilt: Basket 36 Paper Quilt: Tumbling Blocks 37 Angel 38 Treasure Box 40 The Prowler 42 Pet Dog 43 Football Player 44 Napkin Rings 46 Place Cards 47 Acknowledgments 48

      

INTRODUCTION

      Kirigami, the creative art of paper-cutting, is a surprisingly easy craft that requires only paper, a pair of scissors, and sometimes glue. In Kirigami Home Decorations you will find step-by-step directions for table centerpieces, wall pictures, flower bouquets, baskets, mobiles, and sculptures to brighten your home or fill up an odd corner.

      For many designs a piece of paper is folded one or more times, with cuts added through all layers. When the paper is unfolded an unexpected symmetric design is revealed.

      Cutting paper seems to be an instinctive pleasure. At an early age many children like to snip paper into small pieces. Before long they design pictures by pasting the shapes on a background. Papercutting is well recognized to provide educational benefits in the areas of art, math, graphic design, and hand-eye coordination. In Kirigami Home Decorations this experience has been expanded for enjoyment by children as well as adults, who can achieve magic results with just a few cuts.

      My objective in writing Kirigami Home Decorations has been to provide projects that are simple to make, I though they may look complex, and that will appeal to all ages.

      

KIRIGAMI QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

      Are origami and kirigami related?

      As may be guessed, kirigami is related to origami, the art of folding paper.

      Both words are translations from the Japanese and both include the Japanese word garni, which means "paper"; ori means "folding" and kiri means "cutting." In origami a paper square is folded into an object or animal without cutting or gluing. In kirigami paper may be cut and glued, and may sometimes be folded before cutting. Many people find papercutting to be easier.

      I popularized the word kirigami in the English language when I prepared a papercutting kit in 1962. At the time I had been practicing origami and a publisher asked me to write a book about papercutting. When it came to choosing a title, the publishing staff and I sat around debating various possibilities. I suggested kirigami and we checked with the Japanese consulate to be sure this word would be acceptable. The kit had such a wide distribution that the word kirigami became a common term.

      Are special scissors needed?