Paper

Everybody knows paper but there are some fascinating things about it which are less known. It was invented in China in about 100 A.D. and it has been used for almost two thousand years. There are so many different ways to use it, it is simply unbelievable. Just to take a few examples: you can write on it, pay with it, dress in it, make boxes from it and use it for different works of art. What's more, paper is not only made by humans, it is also made by animals! Paper wasps make fine paper for their nests by chewing up wood. Actually, the idea of making paper from wood pulp was stolen from wasps. For hundreds of years, paper had been made from linen rags and old clothes, which hadn't always been available. A French scientist, René Réaumur, came up with the idea (Do you know the meaning of this phrase?) of imitating wasps in the early part of the eighteenth century. At that time, this technology was not feasible and it took more than a hundred years to produce good quality paper from wood.



















paper wasp and nest



Most people think of paper as an incredibly weak and fragile material. That is not true. Paper can be very strong. It is possible to build heavier structures, even houses from it. Renowned Japanese architect Shigeru Ban can be called a leader in the paper architecture movement. His paper and cardboard structures are known and loved all over the world. His structures provide real solutions in terms of cost, eco-friendliness, and portability. Ban’s buildings can be erected by amateurs with no heavy machinery, sometimes within just a few hours. His incredible ideas were put to use after the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan to provide temporary homes and churches to displaced residents.
Shigeru Ban is not the only person who uses this material for building. UK artist Sumer Erek was disgusted at the amount of wasted paper he saw on the streets of London, so he decided to make an art piece to illustrate just how wasteful we are. The result was a house made entirely of discarded newspapers. (See below)



















House made of newspapers


Origami is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. The goal of this art is to create a representation of an object using geometric folds without the use of gluing or cutting the paper, and using only one piece of paper. Experts can make really elaborate and detailed models of animals and objects. Eric Joisel, a real master of paper folding, created a masterpiece with a less conventional version of this technique. You can see a video about it on Youtube.






Well, I admit it is not for beginners. However, there are some much easier origamis as well. If you feel like trying this art at a beginner level here is another video. In this one, you will be taught how to make an inflatable paper cube from a single square sheet of paper.


When I was a child, I made a lot of airplanes from paper. I knew a few different ways of folding them and I experimented with them. Sometimes I threw the planes from higher spots to see how far they would go or how long they would stay up gliding in the air. Now, it looks as though some fanatics are going to take it up a notch. (Do you know the meaning of this phrase?) Japanese scientists and origami masters propose to launch a flotilla of paper airplanes from space! The launch is planned for early 2009 from the International Space Station. The journey is expected to take several months and the planes will be made with a special covering to withstand the heat. There is no way to track the planes or predict where they might land. Instead, there will be messages on them in various languages asking any finder to contact the Japanese team. So, if a very special paper airplane lands near you now you will hopefully know what to do. For more information visit the site of the Ultimate Paper Airplane.

Why not do some exercises about the language content of this entry?