A sequence of material and formal transformations
Josef Albers was born March 19, 1888, in Bottrop, Germany. The earliest known reference of curved-crease sculpture is from a student’s work at the Bauhaus, from a preliminary course in paper study taught by Josef Albers in 1927–1928. Josef Albers, training Origami at the Bauhaus. Paperfolding was a instrument to experience construction through an architects hands rather than a builder. Working hands-on, learning by doing. “The student had to solve it entirely independently. No technical explanations were given.” (Reinhold, Bauhaus and Bauhaus people, 1970).
Hannes Beckmann writes in his 1970 article “Formative Years” [in Bauhaus and Bauhaus People, edited by Eckhard Neumann, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1970, page 196]:
“I remember vividly the first day of the [Preliminary Course]. Josef Albers entered the room, carrying with him a bunch of newspapers. … [and] then addressed us … “Ladies and gentlemen, we are poor, not rich. We can’t afford to waste materials or time. … All art starts with a material, and therefore we have first to investigate what our material can do. So, at the beginning we will experiment without aiming at making a product. At the moment we prefer cleverness to beauty. … Our studies should lead to constructive thinking. … I want you now to take the newspapers … and try to make something out of them that is more than you have now. I want you to respect the material and use it in a way that makes sense — preserve its inherent characteristics. If you can do without tools like knives and scissors, and without glue, [all] the better.”





Albers gave insight to his students upon how to build on a minor scale. He did this through teaching origami, having them gain an understanding of the physics of paper through their hands. Origami is the manipulation of paper, breaking traditions upon how paper should be used. I have chosen to take upon Albers teachings and attempt to manipulate paper myself, giving me an understanding of the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building in Sydney, with its supernatural curves that are seeminly impossible to be made with the brick used. Figure 1 below is the Frank Gehry building.

The building is unique in style and questions physics itself. The unnatural curves replicate the likes of a creased paper.. This is why i have chosen to replicate the building in my own style with influence of Josef Albers, as the correlation is distinct. Figures 1.1, 1.2,1.3, and 1.4 are examples of my 15 iterations.
In these examples shown, you can see the experimentation of material and formal transformations. I have experimented with colour, having red upon blue, red, upon black and a multitude of variations. I decided the Sand yellow upon black best matches the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building and its environment and in its material. I have over time become very good at the manipulation of paper, i have learnt to have it curve in any which way i pleased, even with cutouts representing windows at some points. In my final work i also chose to use more subtle curves, rather than sharp edges as it again; best matches the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building.
The building is large in scale, as you can see in figure 2.1, where you could see it in comparison to my iteration. Through Albers approach to designing a building, i have learnt a complex of skills that i will forever carry on and utilise.
Youssef Sheeth