“For hundreds of years, origami was fairly small, just a simple craft where there are a few dozen models,” said Erik Demaine, who collaborates with his father, Martin, making origami sculptures. The two have work on view at Mobilia Gallery.
Computers changed all that. Demaine specializes in computational geometry. We spoke to him in his studio at MIT. Martin was out of town.
Age: 42
Making a living: Demaine is a professor in computer science at MIT. “All the art that I make is related to the mathematics and computer science that I do,” he said.
Originally from: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Lives in: Cambridge, with his girlfriend and his father.
Studio: MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
How he started: Demaine got his PhD at 20, when computational origami was emerging. MIT hired him soon after. “We entered origami like, ‘Here’s some cool geometry problems to solve that no one had solved before,’” he said.
“My dad remembered a problem that he read about in Scientific American called the ‘fold in one cut’ problem that no one had thought about in this new discipline,” Demaine said. “The question was: What shapes can you make by folding, one straight cut, and unfolding?”
At 22, he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.
What they make: Curved crease origami. “When you’re just folding along straight lines, it’s pretty clear what happens,” Demaine said. “When you fold along curved lines it’s not even obvious what’s happening geometrically.”
After about 20 years of studying folded curves, they’ve made some progress.
“We still don’t have good algorithmic design tools,” he said. “All the design we’re doing is by hand.”
How they work: They fasten watercolor paper to a wood slab. Using a ruler rigged like a compass and outfitted with a burnisher, they score curves in the paper.
“We do half the creases on one side, half the creases on the other, so they end up being alternating mountain and valley,” Demaine said. “Then we very carefully fold along all the lines.”
Advice for artists: Cross disciplines and collaborate.
“We get stuck on a science problem and that inspires a new sculpture, or we get stuck trying to build a sculpture,” said Demaine, “and that leads to new science.”
As for collaborating, the Demaines rely on an improv principle known as “Yes, and.” Never meet a suggestion with a no; instead, build on it.
“It leads to more positive conversations,” Demaine said, “which makes you more likely to want to keep working together.”
Erik and Martin Demaine have origami on view at Mobilia Gallery through March 16. 348 Huron Ave., Cambridge, through March 16. 617-876-2109, https://mailchi.mp/mobilia-gallery/erikmartindemaine2024?e=36deb4f9e2
Cate McQuaid can be reached at catemcquaid@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram @cate.mcquaid.