Kade Chan
There’s more to elegant origami pieces than a simple fold here and a crease there. 21-year-old origami master Kade Chan tells Cynthia Chung about what shapes an origami prodigy.
There’s more to elegant origami pieces than a simple fold here and a crease there. 21-year-old origami master Kade Chan tells Cynthia Chung about what shapes an origami prodigy.
HK Magazine: When did you get into origami?
Kade Chan: There wasn’t much to do before I discovered my passion for origami—I just studied, studied, studied. Expectations were high for students like me who studied at local public schools—there was a lot of schoolwork. So when I started making origami as an ordinary 12-year-old, I devoted all my time to making origami, and that actually made my grades suffer.
HK: What do you find appealing about it?
KC: Folding paper comes with a strict set of rules. You’re only allowed to use one sheet of paper, no cutting or gluing. When I learned that, I became fascinated and wanted to learn the process of turning a two-dimensional thing into a three-dimensional product. It seemed magical to me as a kid. I began earning money from shopping malls that wanted to display my origami and now I earn a stable income from installations, YouTube tutorials and events.
HK: What’s a common misconception about origami?
KC: The production of origami is 30 percent actual folding, and 70 percent research. It’s not easy: first, I have to research the ratios, proportions, and different measurements of the origami figure that I’m creating. For example, if I’m folding a 3D dog, I have to do extensive research because the proportions of different figures are unique—for the front legs, hind legs, everything has to be precise. Then I have to draw outlines on paper and make amendments before I can start folding. It takes more than 10 hours and lots of patience.
HK: Which origami model do is the most representative of your work?
KC: The Alien—I made it as an ode to its [original artist] H.R. Giger, who passed away. I used 57 pieces of paper, and it took me a month to construct. Then I sent it to the film company so they could use it for advertisement purposes.
