Flexible Paper Sculptures Defy Expectation

Craft & Design

I'm a word nerd who loves to geek out on how emerging technology affects the lexicon. I was an editor on the first 40 volumes of MAKE, and I love shining light on the incredible makers in our community. In particular, covering art is my passion — after all, art is the first thing most of us ever made. When not fawning over perfect word choices, I can be found on the nearest mountain, looking for untouched powder fields and ideal alpine lakes.

Contact me at snowgoli@gmail.com or via @snowgoli.

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February 11th, 2013 14

Inspired by the honeycomb-cut paper decorations popular in Chinese festivities, Beijing-based artist Li Hongbo uses the same technique to create otherworldly sculptures that look like they’re made of plaster when resting, but have the ability to accordion out to bizarre proportions. A book editor and designer, he’s had a love affair with paper for years and strives to expose its “endless possibilites.” One of his full-body sculptures is composed of 30,000 sheets of paper glued together and then sawed into shape.