Recognized as one of the world's leading masters of origami, Robert J. Lang is noted for his designs of great detail and realism. An avid student of the art for over forty years, Lang is a dedicated and talented artist who continues to challenge himself.  His works combine the Western mathematical origami design with the Eastern emphasis upon line and form to create pieces that are not only complex in their formation, but aesthetically beautiful.  His ability to bridge the East and West into his works serves as a reminder that, by juxtaposing styles and ideas, artists can create pieces that are as much a part of themselves as they are a part of these, oftentimes, colliding cultures.

Having been the first Westerner ever invited to address the Nippon Origami Association's annual meeting; Lang has since been a guest at international origami conventions around the world.  He lectures widely on origami and its connections to mathematics, science, and technology.  In addition, he teaches workshops on both artistic techniques and applications of folding in industrial design.  By teaching others about paper folding, Lang can express his passion while exposing others to this intricate art form. 

Lang has authored several books including: Origami Design Secrets (2003), Origami Insects II (2003), Origami in Action (1996), Origami Insects and Their Kin (1995), Origami Animals (1992), Origami Sea Life  (with John Montroll) (1990), Origami Zoo (with Stephen Weiss) (1989), and A Complete Book of Origami (1988).

Lang's works have been shown in exhibitions in New York (Museum of Modern Art), Paris (Carrousel du Louvre), Salem (Peabody Essex Museum), San Diego (Mingei Museum of World Folk Art), and Kaga, Japan (Nippon Museum Of Origami), among others.

You can visit his website at: http://www.langorigami.com/

SHARP OBJEX: What inspired you to go into paper folding?

Robert J. Lang: When I was a small child, I learned to fold some figures from a book. That got me hooked.

SO: When did you first meet other folders?

RJL: In college, I visited the New York folding group.

SO: Have you had any mentors?

RJL: In my teen years, I corresponded with the great American folder Neal Elias who influenced me enormously. Since then, I feel like I’ve learned a lot from many origami artists: Yoshizawa, John Montroll, Michael LaFosse, Eric Joisel, to name a few.

SO: What have been your most challenging pieces and why?

RJL: Many of my animals have been the most challenging things I’ve worked on. They’re challenging because I’m trying to capture an emotional reaction, rather than a photographic description, and that’s not easily described as a problem, let alone amenable to systematic solution.

SO: Are there any you particularly enjoyed?

RJL: I usually enjoy my most recent thing. I’m fond of my Barn Owl.

SO: Is there anything you'd like to construct that you haven't already?

RJL: Of course; I have a vast backlog of things in progress and topics to work on. Right now I’m working on some new tessellation patterns.

SO: Why do you choose to make natural subjects more often than geometrical shapes?

RJL: I work on both, of course (see answer to previous question). But I probably work more on representational and natural subjects because I have a stronger emotional reaction to them.

SO: Do you feel that you've grown as an artist?

RJL: Yes. If one stops growing in one’s art, one might as well give it up.

SO: How does your background in science help develop your works?

RJL: Origami is an art in which what you can accomplish is very strongly affected by mathematical principles; if one understands those principles, one can work efficiently (not wasting time by trying to accomplish the impossible), and one can use the tools of mathematics to create the structures that one visualizes.

SO: What does art mean to you and how has it affected you?

RJL: To me, art is anything that appeals primarily to one’s aesthetic senses, rather than being primarily a functional object. The creation of art has been a goal of mine throughout my life, in both engineering and art per se.

SO: Do you have any advice for budding paper folders?

RJL: I usually recommend that budding folders strive for precision rather than speed; and by precision, I mean that you make sure that every fold, layer, or mark is in exactly the right place.

SO: What projects are you currently working on?  

RJL: Right now I have several art commissions due to a private collector; I’m writing a book of mathematical folding; I’m working on tessellation algorithms and their implementation within a program called Mathematica; I’m diagramming some instructions for a museum in the Netherlands; and I’m preparing to fly to New York to do a large-scale folding demonstration.