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Remembering nature through multicolored origami
French artist Mademoiselle Maurice held a workshop on origami with children in Malang. She also decorated the walls of Kampung Biru Arema with origami-shaped metal plates.
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French artist Mademoiselle Maurice and her husband, Snez, decorate the blue walls of Kampung Biru Arema, Malang, East Java, with origami-shaped metal plates. (JP/Nedi Putra AW)
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rench artist Mademoiselle Maurice held an origami workshop with orphaned children in Malang, East Java. She also decorated the blue walls of Kampung Biru Arema, which is the same color as the local football team Arema, in origami-shaped metal.
"I deliberately chose the soccer theme as it is a universal sport, so we decorated the walls in this village with ball motifs," Mademoiselle Maurice, also known as Momo, said on Wednesday.
Momo, together with her husband Snez, conducted a workshop on paper origami with orphaned children. They also decorated the walls with the metal plates, which were painted in different colors.
The artist, who is known for her street origami creations, is also set to visit other cities in Indonesia, including Jakarta, Bandung and Bali, in collaboration with the French Institute in Indonesia (IFI).
Momo began creating origami in 2011 when she was in Japan. When the earthquake and tsunami struck the country, she felt compelled to do something.
"Humans must be reminded not to forget nature," she explained. She tried to link the interaction between humans and the environment through her work as a sign of gratitude to nature for providing all of man's needs.
Read also: Indonesian handicraft products showcased in France
She believes that life in urban areas, which have become concrete jungles, needs to be given an artistic touch that reminds its residents to continue to care for nature and the environment.
As for Malang, Momo chose origami graffiti art.
This art of paper folding, or origami, from Japan required technique and patience, because it could turn pieces of paper into beautiful shapes, she said.
"Moreover, modern origami art is not just about folding, but also cutting, glueing and even drilling walls, while the materials used can vary from paper to metal," Momo said.
The origami she made reflected forms found in nature, such as windmills, flowers and birds.
She uses all the colors of the rainbow, which is a representation of nature itself. Green represents plants and forests, while yellow, orange, red and pink symbolize various elements of nature such as sunlight and various flora and fauna, while blue is the color of the sky.
She and her husband, Snez, have participated in various art festivals. Her graffiti and installation works have adorned buildings in various cities in a number of countries, from France, Germany, Mexico and Japan to Singapore.
"Through artwork such as origami, we can foster a sense of love for our fellow human beings and nature, with unity and solidarity between human beings," she said. (liz/mut)
