The first time that many of us came across the name Thoki Yenn, was in Harbin's, "Secrets of Origami" (1963) , which included Thoki's 3-D whale, and said of Thoki that he was reputed to be a wonder at paper-folding but it was always difficult and sometimes impossible to locate him precisely! In 1979 Mick Guy published a letter from Yenn (BOS magazine number 79) in which he said he had no contact with other Origami enthusiasts. He also mentioned that in a BOS pamphlet he had come across the word Kirigami that was new to him and wondered what it meant.

		At last in 1981 we met Thoki in person when he attended the BOS convention in Oxford. In the BOS magazine number 89, Thoki wrote of his pride in being accepted in a group of people that had created so much ingenuity and beauty, he did not know what he had been missing not being among ORIGAmists! (Thoki's word). Since that time we have realised what we have all missed in not meeting Thoki much earlier. I am delighted that Thoki has compiled this video so we can all share in his own ideas and creations of such ingenuity and beauty.
Let me make it clear at the outset of this review that this is not a video that aims to teach a few simple folds to beginners. What it does offer us is a visit to the enchanting and magical world of Thoki Yenn, and what a rich and diverse world it is! After showing several ways to fold half of a square,we are beguiled with some classical Origami including a simple hat and the multi-form. I particularly enjoyed the high speed folding sequence of the traditional flapping bird.
		Geometry is one of Thoki's great loves and he shares this with us in the paper-folding part of this video. He shows in an absorbing sequence the way he has divided up a cube and related it to pyramid structures and other forms. The puzzle box, a variation of the Moroccan purse, and Fujimoto's cube make their appearance. In Thoki's able hands we also enjoy meeting the Golden ratio and the A sized paper (one to the square root of two) and seeing how to exploit their special properties. Enjoy is the watchword here, there is so much to see and hear in this wonderland but, above all, so much to enjoy. We are often treated to Yenn's delightfully quirky humour given almost as asides. For example "the Chinese stole my idea hundreds of years before I was born!"
I found the demonstration of curved folding and the resulting flexible shapes fascinating, surely a world many others will want to explore. In Origami, Thoki is captivated by geometrical shapes and relationships, but in his Kirigami he shows his mastery of animal forms.
		He tells us that he does not use preliminary drawing as his fingers know where to cut. His fingers certainly do know where to go and we are let into the secret of how a few of his creatures are created. There follows a beautifully presented Gallery of his work, full of life and humour, wonderful stuff. I liked his cat, giraffe and cockerel particularly. Not content with Origami and Kirigami we also are invited to share his napkin folding with a mouse,dancer and obedient knot. I think if I practise hard I may at last be able to fold the mouse, which in Thoki's hands become alive.
With Thoki everything he does is exciting and beguiling. He shares with us his enthusiasm and insight. Geometrical shapes have not been one of my passions in Origami but after seeing this video I can't wait to try some of the ideas out.
		What more can I say?. Go out and buy this superb video, it is an enchanting, wise, witty and whimsical production by one of the great creative personalities of our time.
We are also promised a CD soon which will contain diagrams, folding instructions and Thoki's famous lectures and much more. It is worth mentioning that many of the geometrical shapes that Thoki shows in his video are diagrammed in the BOS booklet No. 13.

VIDEO:
ORIGAMI & KIRIGAMI
From the Thoki Yenn Archives.
PAL (Europe)

US$ 40.00

VIDEO:
ORIGAMI & KIRIGAMI
From the Thoki Yenn Archives.
NTSC (America / Japan)

US$ 40.00