Student Academy Awards Series Part 7: Origami - Kei Kanamori

Origami, dir. Kei Kanamori

Kei Kanamori is one of the animation winners of the 2024 Student Academy Awards for his thesis project Origami. Kei studied animation at the Digital Hollywood University in Tokyo, Japan. But his passion for the paper folding art of origami stretches way further than that, it is something he has been practicing since the age of six.

The name origami stems from ori meaning "folding", and kami meaning "paper". Practitioners generally consider a single sheet of paper folded and sculpted to be the true form of the art. By extension this also means that the shape should be able to return to its original flat form by reversing the same steps taken to get there.

This flow of starting out as something flat and basic, creating a living shape only to once again return to the original form is something that is thought to mirror the circle of life. Kei plays a lot with this concept in his film, both on a specific level of letting the origami take shape before our eyes but also on a broader scale with the creation narrative that runs through the film.

By leveraging the tactile look and feel of simple pieces of paper and letting them turn into anthropomorphic creatures we get this juxtaposition between the relatable and the mystical. Kei uses lighting and shadows, combined with colored sheets of paper, to make the 3D rendered object appear lifelike both as a flat surface as well as a folded creature.

We begin the film with just a single sheet slowly drifting downwards. As it does so it begins to fold over only to reveal a humanoid robed creature once it hits the ground which is covered in more blank sheets of paper. This person then proceeds to fold a very traditional fan, keeping with the more tactile fold feel. They then proceed to use this fan to make flowers, butterflies, frogs and all sorts of creatures populating the space around them in a much more magical process using the wind and flow of the fan as a tool for creation. As the music builds we see the screen spring to life, full of colours and movement. The more grandiose the soundtrack gets the more our world begins to feel whole and alive again, culminating in a majestic nature scene towards the end.

The short is playful and imaginative and you can truly tell the passion behind the craft of animation as well as the origami art form. It is beautiful and friendly, approachable to viewers of any age or background. With this strong start of his career, we are all looking forward to see where Kei goes next.

Review by: Robin Hellgren