When origami learns to move like a manta ray

Anya Midori Oraygami

When origami learns to move like a manta ray

For Oraygami, Anya Midori brings a school of miniature manta rays into an imagined underwater universe.

Each creature measures between five and ten millimetres and is folded from hand-coloured Japanese paper before being mounted on fine brass stems. The deep-blue hand-guilloché dial and a moiré effect on the crystal reinforce the sensation of shifting light beneath the ocean.

The project required a completely new origami sequence, developed after extensive study of photographs and videos of real manta rays. The paper itself had to be dyed specifically for the project, using water, natural cellulose and acrylic pigment.

Interview

What was the most unexpected challenge in this project?

There were really two major challenges.

The first was creating the manta ray itself. In origami, artists usually work from existing folding sequences developed by other masters, but for this project I had to invent my own model from scratch.

I spent a long time studying photographs and videos of real rays to understand their proportions and the way they move through water before translating those observations into folds. Some solutions emerged only late at night or unexpectedly while I was away from the studio.

The second great challenge was the paper.

The blue tones available in my usual Japanese papers were not the right colour for the project, so, for the first time, I had to experiment with dyeing the paper myself using a mixture of water, natural cellulose and acrylic pigment.

Because the paper is extremely thin, every colour mixture changed its behaviour, thickness and flexibility. It took a long time to find the right balance.

What does this project represent for you personally?

This is probably the most significant project of my origami career so far.

It was the first time I had been involved from the very beginning of the creative process rather than simply executing a finished idea. I learned an enormous amount, not only technically, through developing new folding sequences and experimenting with dyeing paper, but also personally.

The project taught me to trust that even when something initially seems impossible, there is always a way to make it possible.

Working with Vacheron Constantin also gave me confidence because they constantly encouraged me to push further and trusted my work at every stage, even when I was not sure I could accomplish my task.

Completing the project and meeting the quality standards of such a prestigious Maison are a real source of pride for me.

About Anya Midori

Based in Germany, Anya Midori discovered micro-origami less than a decade ago and has rapidly established herself as one of the inventive figures in the field.

For Midori, folding is a meditative discipline requiring total concentration and an almost obsessive attention to detail. In origami, optimal results depend on folding the undersides with the same care as the visible surface, even when they remain unseen.

---

Patricia Holdener 

Editor-In-Chief

Luxe Mgazine Switzerland 

LuxeMagazineSwitzerland VacheronConstantin MetiersdArt HauteHorlogerie LuxuryWatches FineWatchmaking WatchmakingCraftsmanship AnimalKingdom HorologicalArt LuxuryWatchesSwitzerland

AnnaLeCorno WoodMarquetry Woodenwings MetiersdArt HauteHorlogerie LuxuryWatches ArtisanCraft FineWatchmaking

LauraBaverstock GoldEmbroidery Tigerbroidery MetiersdArt HauteHorlogerie LuxuryWatches Craftsmanship FineWatchmaking

SimoneCrestani GlassArt Glassoctopus MetiersdArt HauteHorlogerie LuxuryWatches GlassSculpture Watchmaking

AnyaMidori MicroOrigami Oraygami MetiersdArt HauteHorlogerie LuxuryWatches OrigamiArt Watchmaking