Nairobi artist ventures into Japanese art of origami

Origami products by Arts and Oak on display at the Kenya Beer Festival. PHOTO | COURTESY 

By MWIKALI LATI

From a boxful of folded paper pieces, Dennis Poriot lifts an intersecting tetrahedral star made from yellow manila paper. Although not complete, one can appreciate the effort that has gone to measuring the pieces of paper and the precise folding.

“I love the way someone can take one sheet of paper and make something out of it without cutting,” he says, describing his love for origami, the ancient Japanese paper art.

When Mr Poriot was in high school, he used to spend his time folding paper into simple jets. Origami was unknown to him until a fellow classmate pointed it out to him.

During his school holidays, he surfed the Internet to learn more and was fascinated by what he came across.

After completing high school in 2011, his search for an origami artist in Kenya led him to Ernest Wamboye and his association The Arts and Origami Artel of Kenya (Arts and Oak). Apart from being an origami artist, Mr Wamboye is also a thespian and author.

Together, they did their first origami exhibition at the 2012 Beer Festival at the Ngong Race Course in Nairobi then later used origami art – paper pieces tied on vertical strings – as a backdrop to their theatre show, Tales and Stories.

The Arts and Oak origami products include fabric earrings, gift boxes covered in fabric and topped with origami flower, paper cards, fabric or paper pieces for décor and events and paper flowers for weddings.

“Using fabrics gives us more in terms of patterns and colours and it lasts longer. But really any foldable materials can be used in origami,” says Mr Poriot.

Selling through their website and Facebook page, they have also being visiting gift shops in the hope of having them stock their products.

Currently Purpink – a gift shop at Strathmore University– is selling the gift and wine boxespriced between Sh500 and Sh1,200 depending on the size, shape, design and fabric. Fabrics can either be recycled (cut-offs from tailors) or new.

Earrings sell for Sh300 while a flower bouquet costs between Sh300 and Sh1,500 depending on the size and design.

“The lack of proper origami paper or a wide range of paper types is a challenge. This means that they are some designs we cannot make but that does not stop us. We like to be innovative and to work with what is available,” says the artist.

For a swan sculpture piece that took 600 pieces of folded paper, he used ordinary photocopy paper then spray painted it. Arts and Oak uses such elaborate pieces mostly for displays in exhibitions although they can be made on order.

The group has also been teaching the art in schools, as a fun activity at birthday parties and taking on private students whenever possible. However, since origami is not a well-known art this side of the business is slow.

“We are now thinking of putting together a 10-model activity booklets for kids to make functional origami art,” he says.