This fun creation will take you around an hour to make. It involves folding a prepared piece of paper and exposing it on 3 different sides. Combining simple origami with cyanotype photography process.
Written by artist Jo Howell
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One of the wonderful things about paper is its ability to be so much more. Paper has memory. Each fold, exposure and mark telling us about the process of its manipulation.
This is a great way to use photography as sculpture. Let me know your own results.
Step by step instructions for your folded origami cyanotype fortune teller
You can find links to buy chemistry and everything you will need.
Step 1
Coat your chosen paper. Be patient let it dry before you start folding and exposure.
Step 2
Create a square out of the prepared paper. I did this by folding on the diagonal at a right angle to the edge of the paper.
Step 3
Cut away the surplus using the other edge as a guide. I used a guillotine but scissors are also fine.
Step 4
Fold the paper square in half on both diagonals.
Step 5
Flip the paper over to the unprepared side. Fold each corner into meet the centre cross.
Step 6
Fold in all 4 corners. Press your folds firmly with clean hands.
Step 7
Turn the piece over. Begin to fold each corner into the centre.
Step 8
Firm up all of your folds.
Step 9
Get ready for the first exposure. There will be 3 exposures total before the wash. I also decided to use the cut off to make the botanical print.
Step 10
Expose the image under glass. The glass will help you to maintain great contact between the image and the cyanotype.
Step 11
Set up the next exposure by turning the folded piece over and exposing a different image to the surface.
Step 12
For the final exposure you will need to turn the fortune teller over and open it up.
Step 13
After the last exposure open up the paper fully.
Step 14
Wash the piece in super cold water and air dry the piece unfolded.
Step 15
Once dry you can fold it up again and open it out.
