Origami sculptures by James Roper

I absolutely fell in love with these sculptures by James Roper. A big part of me is all about minimalism and clean lines and white, and another part of me longs for colour like this. However this sculpture has just enough of a geometric quality as well as the colour to win me over completely. Roper's sculptures, drawings and paintings are all so different yet linked with colour and form, and all are worth a look. I'll post my favourite drawings of his tomorrow!

As I was looking at these, I suddenly remembered the story behind the 'Thousand Cranes' legend that so many people know. There is a statue in Japan dedicated to a little girl names Sadako Sasaki, who developed leukemia following the bombing at Hiroshima. To extend her life, she decided to begin an attempt at folding a thousand paper cranes from medicine packaging and old wrapping paper, as the myth states that any person folding one thousand cranes will be granted a wish. The story goes that she only folded 644 before she died, but that her friends folded the rest and buried them with her. (However the Hiroshima Peace Memorial states that she completed her task - this spoils the story a little).

Consequently, I decided to learn how to and start folding paper cranes. I want a load of them to put up in my room at uni (and maybe it'll be something to occupy myself with in all my 'spare time'). May have also been slightly influenced by the Yohji Yamamoto exhibition at the V&A museum that I went to today.

And then I clicked on the next set of sculptures on Roper's page, and guess what? More origami. Fate!