Fragility

A Chinese orchid is wonderfully delicate, but when it dies and dries, it is so fragile that you hesitate to touch it.

Dried Orchid

I don’t think its beauty has faded in any way ~ the paper-like form now has a different kind of beauty. The lovely pleats and folds in the flower now remind me of origami.

I watched a movie called Between the Folds last night, a documentary about origami. I found it fascinating, inspiring and full of intriguing surprises, such as the fact that airbags are folded flat using the algorithms of origami techniques.

Mathematicians design new figures in a traditional art form called origami, using modern techniques. Innovations developed in pursuit of the art find application in multiple fields, including applied mathematics and engineering. One application is the use of folding algorithms to pack air bags.     (see: Mathematicians And Artists Use Algorithms To Make Complicated Paper Sculptures)

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