PRODITAL ARTWORK COLLECTION
Fold 6
Fold: a series of leather artwork, designed by Barbieri Magalini for Prodital Leather, that draws inspiration from the ancient Japanese art of origami. Through this creation, the creative duo shifts the focus from the material, leather, to the creative process, immortalizing a crucial moment in the creative process of origami: the first fold.
The art of origami, ancient and sublime, embodies the perfect meeting of simplicity and complexity. Originating in Japan in the 6th century AD, thanks to the introduction of paper from China, this discipline elevates paper to an expressive medium that transcends its fragile, everyday nature, transforming it into three-dimensional works of extraordinary beauty.
This art form has acquired powerful symbolic value over the centuries. The use of paper to create decorative folds first developed in ceremonial and religious contexts, and then evolved in later centuries into an autonomous art form. Origami as we know it today began to take shape in the Edo period (1603-1868), when basic rules were established and many of the classic figures still reproduced today were created. The crane, for example, folded countless times to invoke peace and good fortune, has become a universal icon, a silent message of hope and longing. Each origami possesses a silent soul that speaks through its form: the fragility of the paper becomes the vehicle for an enduring message, delicacy is transformed into strength.
In every fold lies a narrative: a universal language that breaks down cultural and language barriers, speaking to the human heart through the elegance of gesture and the perfection of form. Origami is not just a visual art, but a tangible meditation on the power of transformation. A humble sheet of paper, through skilled hands and a free imagination, is transformed into a timeless work of art, a symbol of what can be achieved when rational thought and artistic sensibility come together in an act of pure creation.