Origami design for a truck – 10,000 folds!
James Cropper, the UK’s most innovative paper-maker, has recently completed a unique design project to transform its paper delivery fleet in partnership with paper artist Kyla McCallum of Foldability. The brief was challenging, the artwork had to communicate the intrinsic beauty of James Cropper’s bespoke papers, be delivered at a huge scale – the full length of an articulated truck – and to an unprecedented quality.
A creative collaboration between UK paper maker, James Cropper and London-based studio Foldability. Through the shared medium of paper, James Cropper company approached Foldability to help create a new look for the James Cropper brand. The result was crafted paper sculptures which use the principles of origami and geometry. The creative shows four paper sculptures which include over 10,000 lines in total, each one folded individually by hand before being shot with a 50-mega pixel camera. “I wanted to create pieces with interesting geometric patterns that could work at the largest scale and reflect the precision and craftsmanship that James Cropper is known for” says Kyla.
“I came across Kyla’s work on Instagram and it immediately struck a chord”, explains chairman Mark Cropper. “Her work transforms a flat sheet into something dynamic and multi-dimensional that redefines the material. It is simple, but beautiful and completely authentic. The fit was perfect”. Following a trip to Kyla’s East End studio to find out more, Mark commissioned her to create four paper sculptures, each to be made from Kendal Green paper, James Cropper’s signature colour.
“Every fold and crease is visible, even the texture of the paper itself”, adds Mark. “The final result is fabulous. A dedication to quality, and every sheet of material tailor-made. The three dimensionality is also very fitting, providing a link with our newest paper product Colourform, a fully recyclable alternative to moulded plastic”. At the heart of the project is the company’s Kendal Green paper, a bespoke colour based on a woollen cloth the area was famous for in the middle ages. The original pigments used to dye the cloth were identified and the colour brought back to life in James Cropper’s colour lab.
You can see a video of the process here.
By 
In 
