Paper sculptures are grand, but not imposing, due to their DIY nature; paper is cheap and incredibly light. Plus, the sculptures can be made in a small tabletop size or on a large enough scale to hang from the ceiling. And when you’re done with it, it’s recyclable. That’s the kind of ephemeral and organic art people seem to be craving these days.
For exhibitions, paper sculpture tends to be more conceptual, often focusing on the impermanence and ephemerality of paper, its materiality, and its ability to evoke the past. The larger pieces allow artists to play with lighting, using tracing paper to generate silhouettes or cutting slits to create designs that change with the time of day. The works tend to invite movement and respond to the environment around them. Frayed edges will wave slightly in the air, and layered designs allow viewers to peek through the cutouts to see what lies beneath. The pieces push people to linger, and move, and watch for the changes. Galleries are looking for paper as a sculptural medium because it shows that the strongest pieces don’t have to be carved out of marble.
But paper sculpture has also evolved beyond the art world. In retail, hanging flowers and mobiles made from abstract paper shapes can create a cozy, inviting atmosphere. Hanging flowers and paper versions of decorations—such as giant flowers, hanging paper ribbons, or 3-D paper interpretations of a building’s architecture—can also be used in events, like weddings, new product introductions, or even in museum exhibits, where the paper versions of these items is less expensive than the real thing. Hanging flowers and paper sculptures can also be used in home decor; if a hanging flower is too large for a room, it can sit on a shelf or mantle, where it adds drama and can be a topic of conversation (“How’d they do that?”).
Digital tools have since offered even more options, all the while maintaining the hand-made approach. Currently, several artists will start by using a program to assist in the design of complex folding and interlocking detail, and then use that design to score the paper. This method allows for even more precision and intricate designs, all the while maintaining the ability to physically work with the paper. Once the scoring is complete, the work is still assembled by hand, keeping the human element and unique imperfections that come with that, a quality that the younger generation is craving in today’s digital age.
With paper sculpture increasingly in our midst, we are reacquainted with the idea that beauty can be found in limitation and not just profusion. As the art form gains visibility in fine art and home decor, there is a countervailing pressure on the throwaway culture of today and a desire for the things of beauty that invite a slower glance and a tender touch. The enthusiast will find limitless possibilities to mold paper and the mood of the environments we occupy — rendering them magical and meditative.