Some projects have a very long timelines, and some of them need to happen quickly.  Recently we were contacted to help create centerpieces for the Humane Society’s yearly NYC gala.  They had seen our Mijenta rabbits and wanted to hire us to create an event larger lineup of animals for the event.  Over the span of only a few weeks, we designed, perfected, folded, and installed hundreds of handmade models.  Follow along to see how we made it happen.

1: Brainstorming

At Taro’s Origami Studio we love a good phone call that starts with, “Well, I doubt this would be possible but here’s what we were thinking….”.   In late October we received just such a call from an ad agency that had a crazy idea.  The Humane Society was going to have their yearly gala at the Cipriani in midtown Manhattan and the topic would be plights of five different animals.  What if we could have unique, handmade versions of each animal on every table?  We got to work right after that.  What follows is a look at the models that they suggested, what they represented, and our first versions of designing each model so that it was unique and avoided any issues with copyright.  Luckily thought the rabbit they used for inspiration was already a Taro’s Origami original!

2: Designing

After our first round of design attempts we got a round of feedback from the client.  For example, the fox was too cute, the elephant needed to be more realistic, and the puppy should be closer to a yorkie or poodle.  We took those suggestions and after getting their colors for each model, we revised everything until it got approved.  Below is a look at the final models folded in the exact paper and colors looked like.

3: Production

Once we got the final approval of the models the Taro’s team of 5 dedicated folders got to work and went into production mode.  Different folders worked on different animals so that they would feel consistent across the run of the models.  The paper used was also quite thick, so that the models had the right color and texture.  All in there was over 150 hours of origami folding to make all of them.

4: Installation

From there we went to the space and began the installation of the models.  They were made to sit on pedestals on each of the tables, so we went around and carefully affixed all of them on each table before heading back to the office.  It was a lot of work and it had a very quick timeline, but the end result looked amazing.  You can read more about the event HERE!