An earlier version of this article published in August, 2015, one year after Charles Young embarked on his 365-day project. The below article is an updated version that includes Young’s ongoing work, and was featured in Make: Vol 56.
Back in August 2014, artist Charles Young took on a one-a-day, yearlong project creating kinetic paper sculptures, which he calls Paperholm.
Young needed a new project that summer after completing his Master of Architecture degree at Edinburgh College of Art, and he wanted to tackle something that would “keep [him] making something every day.”
He had made little paper models before and decided it was something he could complete on a daily basis. Thus, his project began.
Each model is made using just 200gsm watercolor paper and PVA glue, but they come to life in gallery shows and as GIFs on his website, looping diligently as quaint amenities of some alternate papercraft reality. Young constructs the buildings first thing in the morning, and spends anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours on each, depending on complexity, although he’s much faster now than when he started.
“Once you get 100 or 200 days in you suddenly realize what a mass of work you’ve produced without spending very much time on it each day,” he says. While it was difficult to stay dedicated, the daily rhythm was hugely beneficial for his creativity and productivity.
Although he completed the original 365-piece collection in August 2015, he resumed in November of that year, and has been making more daily buildings ever since. His humble village continues to sprawl into a verifiable metropolis.
[via This Is Colossal]
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