Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding. Usually this involves intricately folding (and unfolding) a single piece of (traditionally square) paper. In unit origami many pieces of paper are all folded in the same way to produce many "units". These units are then interlocked to form geometric sculptures. One traditional use of this was to produce paper boxes using from six to sixteen pieces of paper. The individual units may be simple (6 folds each) or complex (more than 20 folds each). The resulting creations can involve a few units or hundreds of units.

In this talk I will start by describing my experience with unit origami and showing some examples. Next, I will have the audience fold some basic units and we will assemble them into various geometric shapes. Finally, I will mention some of the underlying themes I have noticed and some of the possibilities for future exploration.

Snacks will be provided.

See Conundrum Talks for more information about this series.