Looking through a Glass Onion
According to the stats machines at Flickr, this is one of the most interesting photos I’ve ever taken. I am not one to argue with machines — they tend to equivocate and braid sorites and they’re absolutely useless with analogies. I have an old Thinkpad somewhere that believes that a raven and a writing desk are aspects of the same quiddity. Fortunately, one can always turn a machine off. There’s a knockdown argument for you.
It was the reactions of different people from different places to this model that I found interesting. A Brazilian viewer said it looked like a local sweet, teta de nega. An Indian said it looked like modak, a sweet dumpling favored by Lord Ganesha. An Italian saw a meringa, something I think we’d call a macaroon. Obviously, a shape that holds potent cultural associations and one to be explored further.
It was my intention to make an onion shape and it is, kinda sorta. It resembles a flat Italian onion called cipollini. I had been hoping for a more bulbous onion, something like a dome, but the tato-box closure restricts development of the top story. That’s okay, there are other ways to do things.
A man’s itch should exceed his scratch, else what’s a metaphor?
The same model in polypropylene, folded by Jeff Rutzky.
Crease pattern for the 8-Sided Onion.
Crease pattern for the 12-Sided Onion.
> An Italian saw a meringa, something I think we’d call a macaroon.
I think that what that Italian viewer meant was something like one of these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:6051_-_Meiringen_-_Rest._Da_Ernesto_-_MostroLuzern_-_Meringue.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Suspiro_de_Merengue.JPG
In Spanish they’re called “Merengue” (just like the Caribbean dance 😉 ) And in English they’re called “Meringue” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meringue)
BTW, great blog with incredible models! I’m just making my first steps in the world of tessellations and crease patterns, but I think this blog is Awesome!
July 27th, 2008 at 4:59 pmWhat a beautiful sculpture. I saw it on Foldingtrees.com and was inspired to visit your site.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:09 amHey,
December 14th, 2008 at 6:39 amI think it looks really great.
I would love to fold it myself. Unfortunately I don’t know how to. I didn’t find any instructions but the Crease Pattern which doesn’t help me at all.
I hope that there’s a possibility to get some instructions on this really great lookin piece!
Thanks
There are no instructions for this model, sorry. It is, however, very similar to other tato boxes on this site, some of which do have instructions.
December 19th, 2008 at 5:18 pmi am trying to find the similar tato boxes that you refer to… but i am unable. i can’t find tato box instructions anywhere for that matter.
perhaps you can link or hint at a query term?
January 31st, 2011 at 3:01 amkurwa ma? jakie to skomplikowane
November 4th, 2012 at 6:24 amBrillian site…..am addicted to it now! I have been folding your crease patterns one after the other…this Onion….I folded using an octagon as I found getting a circular paper difficult…but the tato type of closing does not stay…it splays apart, so, I folded it in, but that removed thed the soft curve folds a bit and the final piece does not look as good as the one one your page. Is there something I am doing wrong?
November 30th, 2013 at 4:32 pm