Lecture - Beyond Origami: Foldable Structures and Materials

Time: 1pm Cost: FREE with paid museum admission When hearing the word “folding,” Japanese origami, or the art of folding paper, is probably the first thought that comes to mind. Imagine a future where an entire architectural structure is flat-packed, carried to a construction site, and folded by hand into a rigid three-dimensional shelter. This is the kind of future Dr. Joseph Choma is turning into a reality. His work explores art, design, and architecture at the intersection of folding, mathematics, structure, and material innovations. Inspired by origami, Choma designs and builds larger-than-life foldable structures out of fiberglass. These ultra-thin lightweight pop-up structures deploy in minutes as they are folded by hand, similar to folding a sheet of paper. Many of these sculptural structures are designed with intricate two-dimensional patterns composed with curved creases, where each crease pops into place through controlled buckling — like precisely crushing a soda can with delicate curves. Isamu Noguchi, the American-Japanese artist and designer, blurred the lines between fine art and functional design. Noguchi’s sculptural coffee tables and playgrounds have inspired a body of work which moves beyond disciplinary boundaries. Choma’s work does the same, as folding is used to create functional works of art, which have the power to change the way we design and build a more sustainable architecture of the future. After the lecture, a meet-and-greet with Dr. Choma will follow in the galleries. View Dr. Choma’s work in our new outdoor exhibition Foldable Structures: Origami x Architecture.