American paper engineer and artist Matt Shlian, has created a collection of sculptures where he uses paper to form artwork that almost look like they’re moving.
Matt shares, “As a paper engineer, my work is rooted in print media, book arts and commercial design. Beginning with an initial fold, a single action causes a transfer of energy to subsequent folds, which ultimately manifest in drawing and three dimensional forms.”
Matt draws inspiration for his sculptures from Solar cell design, protein misfolding, Islamic tile patterning, systematic drawing, architecture, biomimetics, and music.
Using a variety of papers in different weights, a few tools like bone folders, blades, creasing tools, and Reverse Action Tweezers, among others, he starts without a clear goal in mind, working within a series of limitations.
Matt explains, “For example on one piece I’ll only use curved folds, or make my lines this length or that angle etc. Other times I begin with an idea for movement and try to achieve that shape or form somehow. Along the way something usually goes wrong and a mistake becomes more interesting than the original idea and I work with that instead.”
