Origami Heaven A paperfolding
paradise
The website of
writer and paperfolding designer David Mitchell
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Macromodular
Sculptures |
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Macromodular
sculptures are second generation modular designs built by
combining complete modular assemblies into larger
structures either with, or without, the use of joining or
separating pieces. My macromodular sculptures are intended to
be partnership art, a concept that expresses
the partnership that often exists in origami/paperfolding
between the designer, who first conceptualises and
defines the design, and the folder, who realises one
expression of it at one particular point in time, so that
both contribute in equal partnership to the finished
work.
Many of these
designs are explained in my book Building with Butterflies.
Larger pictures of
many of these designs can be found in the Gallery of Macromodular
Sculpture.
All of the designs
on this page are abstract / geometrical except the
Macromodular Fox which is abstract / representational.
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Towers |
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Name: The
Abstract Fox - a fox made using a Twin
Open Equilateral Triangular Prism for a body and
Paul Jackson's Cube for a head. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: All modules from
squares using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2020.
Diagrams:
On-line diagrams are available on the Macromodular Designs page of this site.
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Name: The Columbus
Tower, also known as the Columbus
Cubes or Tower of Columbus Cubes,
is made by the simple expedient of
stacking Columbus Cubes one on top of the other.
Columbus Towers can be combined to form walls and
forests. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: Each Columbus Cube is made from 6
modules from squares using standard folding
geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1989.
Diagrams:
In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell -
Water Trade - ISBN // On-line diagrams are
available on the Modular and
Macromodular Designs page of this site.
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Name: The Tower
of Columbus Cuboids is made by stacking
Columbus Cuboids one on top of the other. Towers
of Columbus Cuboids can be combined to form walls
and forests. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: Each Columbus Cuboid is made from 6
modules folded from A4 or US Letter size sheets
of paper using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2015.
Diagrams:
On-line diagrams are available on the Macromodular Designs page of this site.
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Name: The
Crooked Tower is made by combining Paul
Jackson Cubes and Robert Neale Octahedra
alternately in a stack Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each Paul Jackson Cube
is made from 6 modules from squares using
standard folding geometry. Each Robert Neale
Octahedron is made from 6 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1997.
Diagrams:
In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell -
Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: Digitalis
- a macromodular sculpture made by
stacking Abstract Foxes. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: All modules from square
paper using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2020.
Diagrams:
On-line diagrams are available on the Macromodular Designs page of this site.
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Name: Helterskelter
- a macromodular sculpture made by
stacking Gamma Antiprisms. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each Gamma Antiprism is
made from 8 squares using standard folding
geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1999.
Diagrams:
In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell -
Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: The Icarus
Tower - a macromodular sculpture built
from Icarus Cubes using joining pieces. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each Icarus Cube is
made from 6 modules from squares using standard
folding geometry. Each joining piece is folded
from a one sixteenth size square using standard
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1998.
Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David
Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: The
Leaning Tower - a macromodular design
made by combining Paul Jackson Cubes and
Tricornes in a stack Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each Paul Jackson Cube
is made from 6 modules from squares using
standard folding geometry. Each Tricorne is made
from 3 modules from squares using standard
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1998.
Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David
Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: The
Octahedral Tower - a macromodular design
made by stacking Robert Neale Octahedra with the
aid of joining pieces. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each Robert Neale
Octahedron is made from 6 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry. Each joining
piece is made from a square using standard
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1998.
Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David
Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: Treesnake
- a macromodular design built from Diamond
Prisms. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: Each Diamond Prism is made from 8
modules from squares using standard folding
geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1998.
Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David
Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Pyramids |
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Name: Alpha
Pyramids - a macromodular sculptures
built from Alpha Prisms using joining pieces. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each Alpha Prism is
made from 6 modules from squares using standard
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1997.
Diagrams: In Building with Butterflies - David
Mitchell - Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: Columbus Cubes
can be combined with separating pieces to produce
the Columbus Pyramid shown here. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each Columbus Cube is
made from 6 modules from squares using standard
folding geometry. Each joining piece is from a
square using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1997.
Diagrams:
In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell -
Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: Damocles
- a macromodular design made by combining Alpha
and Beta Prisms. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: Each Alpha Prism and each Beta Prism is
made from 6 modules from squares using standard
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1997.
Diagrams:
In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell -
Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: Mothership
- design made using Paulo Mulatinho's
UFO as a macro-module - from squares. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each UFO is made from 2
modules from squares using standard folding
geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2001.
Diagrams:
Not yet avaiable.
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Name: Four
Octahedra - four Robert Neale Octahedra
linked with joining pieces from squares. Larger
versions are possible. . Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each Robert Neale
Octahedron is made from 6 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry. Each joining
piece is from a square using standard folding
geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2016. Update of work from
1995.
Diagrams:
In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell -
Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: The
Octahedral Pyramid - single colour
version - a macronodular design made using Robert
Neale Octaahedra as macromodules and linked by
joining pieces. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: Each Robert Neale Octahedron is made
from 6 modules from squares using standard
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1998.
Diagrams:
In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell -
Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: Paul Jackson
Cubes and Robert Neale Octahedra can also be
combined to create a version of the Octahedral
Pyramid that I call the Octacube Pyramid. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each Paul Jackson Cube
is made from 6 modules from squares using
standard folding geometry. Each Robert Neale
Octahedron is made from 6 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1997.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: Slide is
made by combining Columbus Cubes, Paul Jackson
Cubes and Tricornes in a pyramidal form. The
cubes and Tricorne's are linked together with
joining pieces. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: Each Paul Jackson Cube and each
Columbus Cube is made from 6 modules from squares
using standard folding geometry. Each Tricorne is
made from 3 modules from squares using standard
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2010.
Diagrams:
In Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell -
Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: Temple
of the Winds - a macromodular design
made from triangular prisms and
joining/supporting pieces. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: Each prism is made from
2 squares using standard folding geometry. Each
joining piece is made from a square using
standard folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 2014.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Rings |
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Name: The Ring
of Cubes can either be made by glueing
five Columbus Cubes together or by linking
together five Ring of Cubes macromodules, which
are provided with the necessary tabs and pockets
to make this possible without nedding to use
glue. The unmathematical geometry of the design
was analysed in passing by Jeannine Mosely in an
article in Origami3 - A K Peters Ltd - ISBN
1568811810 entitled 'The Validity of the Orb, An
Origami Model'. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: 30 modules from squares using standard
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1990 (both versions).
Diagrams
for the pure origami version can be found in
Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell -
Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: Ring
of Elites - 5 Elites linked by joining
pieces. A ball of 20 Elites is also possible. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: All modules from silver
rectangles.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1993.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: Ring
of Elite 2s - 5 Elite 2s linked by
joining pieces. A ball of 20 Elite 2s is also
possible. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: All modules from silver rectangles.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1993.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: Stargate
- 5 Artifacts linked by joining pieces. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: All modules from silver
rectangles.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1995.
Diagrams:
In Complete Origami - Collins and Brown - David
Mitchell - ISBN 978-1-84340-397-5 // On-line
diagrams are available on the Modular and
Macromodular Designs page of this site.
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Balls |
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Name: The Ring of
Cubes design can be extended, using either
method, to create a Ball of Cubes.
Further macromodules can be added to produce more
complex forms. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: 120 modules from squares using standard
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1990 (both versions).
Diagrams
for the pure origami version can be found in
Building with Butterflies - David Mitchell -
Water Trade - ISBN 978-0-9534774-7-0.
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Name: Nexus -
20 Artifacts linked by joining pieces. Modules / Paper
shape / Folding geometry: All modules from silver
rectangles.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1995.
Diagrams:
// On-line diagrams are available on the Modular and
Macromodular Designs page of this site.
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Lattices |
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Name: The
Octacube is made by combining eight Paul
Jackson Cubes and six Robert Neale Octahedra.
Larger versions can be constructed by adding more
macromodules. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: Each Paul Jackson Cube is made from 6
modules from squares using standard folding
geometry. Each Robert Neale Octahedron is made
from 6 modules from squares using standard
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1997.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: Borromean
Lattice - lattice made by combining
Borromean Links designs using simple joining
pieces. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: All modules from squares using standard
folding geometry.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1999.
Diagrams:
Not yet available.
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Name: The
Elite Hypercube - made by combining 20
Elite or Elite2 macro-modules using joining
pieces. Modules / Paper shape / Folding
geometry: All modules and joining pieces folded
from silver rectangles.
Designer /
Date: David Mitchell, 1991.
Diagrams:
On-line diagrams for the Elite version are
available on the Modular and
Macromodular Designs page of this site.
Diagrams for the Elite 2 version are not yet
available.
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