Matthew Gardiner

Ars Electronica Futurelab · Origami Robotics - Oribotics

Oribotics is the ingenious name for the art of Matthew Gardiner, which melds-as unlikely as it may seem-the ancient Japanese art of origami and robotics. Origami is a form of sculpture consisting of moving paper back against itself.

The art of oribotics involves a process of imagining and creating geometry for static and kinetic origami structures to fit a desired form. It is a two-fold difficult task. Firstly, tools for calculating the geometry are few, and those existing lack key aesthetic and functional criteria specific to my artistic practice. Secondly, material issues, s...

Computational Origami invents a new kind of complexity: the highly irregular crease pattern, posing a significant challenge to foldability. We design a method for digital fabrication of multi-material composites to overcome issues of foldability and durability faced when producing functional prototypes with paper. Our fabrication method, called Fol...

We present a design method that prioritises in-context design for origami surfaces with periodic tessellations in a parametric CAD workflow using Grasshopper 3D. The key design criteria are: target geometry surface, user-defined folding patterns as periodic tessellations, and fold resolution. Using an error minimisation solver, we generate developa...

ORI* is an art-science research initiative by artist Matthew Gardiner, funded by the FWF PEEK Program and kindly supported by the Ars Electronica Futurelab. ORI* seeks to explore the natural language of origami and technology through artistic and scientific research. Volume 1 addresses gives an experimental overview of the key findings of the ORI*...

We see one of the roles of artists as being able to explore and present works that enable the public to engage, connect to and critique developments within science and technology. Concerning currents debates, the astrophysicist Martin Rees has suggested that the present Anthropocene epoch, a human-influenced age, could mark "a one-off transformatio...

Oribotics is a field of research concerned with the aesthetic, biomechanic, and morphological connections among nature, origami, and robotics. In my current research, the focus is on the actuation of fold-programmed materials such as paper and synthetic fabrics. The design of the crease pattern, the precise arrangement of mountain and valley folds,...

This paper contains a selection of case studies and reflections on the material thinking involved in making oribots, with specific consideration given to artistic and scientific decision-making. ‘Oribotics’ is a field of research that refers to the convergent practice of Origami and Robotics. The term ‘Oribotics’ was coined by Gardiner inn 2003 and...

The Ars Electronica Centre opened Project Genesis in July 2013 to address arising social, technological challenges presented by Synthetic Biology through the lens of art and design. This paperdiscusses personal opinions from the curator Matthew Gardiner, alongside the collective strategies of the Ars Electronica team. Keywords: Synthetic Biology,...

A deceptively simple question such as " What is a fold? " produces simple and complex answers. Origami provides us a with a simple answer that we can demonstrate; make a crease in a sheet of paper and there it is, done. This answer, however beautiful, points to, but does not address the infinite possibilities of folding that origami artists, scient...

Designer Origami is the ultimate guide to the stylish, creative and innovative world of origami design. More than just folded paper, origami influences art, fashion and interior design. Now you can create amazing pieces with the step-by-step instructions in this comprehensive book. Make your own origami jewelery, clothing, lighting, home decoration...

This paper presents a case study of Half Real, a live action, interactive theater show employing spatial augmented reality. Half Real is based on a murder investigation, where the live audience votes on how the investigation proceeds. Half Real immerses live actors into a virtual world projected onto the set. Using spatial augmented reality technol...

This paper describes the general idea of Ars Wild Card: a mobile application for visitors to create their own art cards, to guide interactive art exhibitions. The art cards created by visitors are collected and shared on the Internet. The Ars Wild Card system generates an archive through visitors' participatory process in the exhibition. This resea...

We introduce a novel visual display paradigm through the use of controllable moving visible objects in physical space. Spaxels is a conjugation of "space" and "pixels". It takes the notion of a pixel, and frees it from the confines of a static two-dimensional matrix of a screen or projection surface to move three dimensionally in space. Spaxels ext...

Folds are everywhere throughout nature, in our DNA, in leaves, in insect wings, in the mountain forming forces of tektonic plates. We see folds in art as ancient as origami, and in design as packaging, lighting designs and surface aesthetics. Contemporary architects and designers have embraced the organic form of the fold, leveraging the complexity...

We discuss a field of research concerned with the discovery and realisation of folded patterns with kinetic properties, and the design of organic experience metaphors. Since the coining of the term Oribotics in 2003, a literal conjunction of the Japanese word ORU--to fold-- and bot--a contraction of robot--this practice-based-research has delivered...

This paper describes a case study of Shadowgram as an application of interactive fabrication in public spaces to realize a creative communication environment based on an interactive installation, which generates sticker cutouts of the silhouettes of participants. In this paper, we propose an approach called Social Fabrication that stimulates commun...

We introduce a method to stimulate and catalyse the creativity of students and the general public in the field of experience design. The research is centered on a product design called SWITCH: a simple creative prototyping platform for everyday use which can be likened to picture frame containing a picture with two states, an on and an off state. T...

We present Shadowgram as an outcome from our research into catalyzing the creativity of audiences, in particular for the task of social brainstorming through interactive fabrication. We discuss our motivation to design Shadowgram as a natural extension of existing fabrication technologies. We discuss the functional aspects of the design and impleme...

Everything Origami is the ultimate guide to origami for beginners and experienced hobbyists alike. Containing step-by-step instructions on how to create over 60 magnificent pieces, this book will provide hours of rewarding fun. Beginning with simple, traditional pieces, the book then moves through sections on toys and games, animals, geometric piec...

This paper covers the brief 4 year history of Oribotics as a tangible field of study; as a hybrid field of study, with art exhibits as the end goals. I will cover my definition of Oribotics, the origin and evolution of oribotics, design problems and solutions. While thinking generally about origami and technology I realised the two fields are very...