0:00:07.634,0:00:09.982
I named this model "Childhood."

0:00:09.982,0:00:13.523
Like most of my works,[br]it is made out of a single sheet of paper.

0:00:13.523,0:00:15.518
Just folded, no cuts or glue.

0:00:16.476,0:00:21.103
When I was a child,[br]I always wanted to be a fighter pilot.

0:00:21.103,0:00:25.676
Yet 10 years ago,[br]after 25 years of military service,

0:00:25.676,0:00:29.621
I retired from the intelligence forces[br]at the rank of lieutenant colonel.

0:00:30.229,0:00:36.303
And this was about the time I decided[br]I'm going to be an origami artist.

0:00:36.793,0:00:39.297
Now, origami is about the ability

0:00:39.297,0:00:44.659
to change a square sheet of paper [br]into almost anything.

0:00:45.719,0:00:46.978
It's a rare form of art

0:00:46.978,0:00:50.371
in which you add nothing[br]and you take nothing from the paper.

0:00:50.371,0:00:53.097
You end with exactly [br]what you started with.

0:00:54.677,0:00:58.199
Look at the example[br]of the works of Eric Joisel,

0:00:58.199,0:01:02.477
for me, maybe the greatest[br]origami artist who ever lived.

0:01:02.477,0:01:05.711
From one paper, he made the pangolin,

0:01:06.331,0:01:09.861
and from the other, he made the tree[br]the pangolin stands on.

0:01:10.071,0:01:14.588
Unfold this pangolin, and you will get[br]the same square sheet Eric started with.

0:01:18.464,0:01:21.262
My first encounter[br]with origami was with this.

0:01:24.112,0:01:30.733
At 11 years old, 1977,[br]a classmate went into class holding this,

0:01:31.143,0:01:35.493
and at the moment he pulled the tail,[br]the wings flapped,

0:01:35.493,0:01:37.464
and just like the butterfly effect,

0:01:37.464,0:01:38.926
my life changed.

0:01:38.926,0:01:42.707
And this was the exact moment[br]I was hooked on origami,

0:01:43.507,0:01:45.638
and ever since, I'm always folding.

0:01:46.398,0:01:51.851
Now, my mother was trying[br]every possible workshop there was,

0:01:52.191,0:01:56.386
from macramé to stained glass,[br]even painting with ropes,

0:01:56.386,0:01:59.553
and from her, I believe[br]I got my artistic side.

0:01:59.903,0:02:02.988
My father, well, he was[br]the best handyman ever.

0:02:02.988,0:02:05.709
He was capable of dismantling the oven,

0:02:05.709,0:02:09.620
take out the heating component,[br]replace it with a new one,

0:02:09.620,0:02:11.622
and when he put everything back together,

0:02:11.622,0:02:15.458
the oven started to work again,[br]and there was no screw left outside.

0:02:16.478,0:02:17.787
From him I got the sense

0:02:17.787,0:02:21.962
that if I have a packing knife in one hand[br]and superglue in the other,

0:02:21.962,0:02:23.287
I can do anything.

0:02:25.621,0:02:29.253
Now, for many years,[br]I was a passive folder,

0:02:29.253,0:02:31.846
following instruction from books.

0:02:32.446,0:02:35.609
I did try my hand[br]with creating my original models,

0:02:35.609,0:02:38.500
but I failed quite miserably, I must say.

0:02:38.500,0:02:42.700
I once tried to make a hummingbird[br]and showed it to my wife, and she said:

0:02:43.070,0:02:44.573
"Frankly, my dear husband,

0:02:44.673,0:02:48.287
this is kind of an ugly head[br]of an elephant."

0:02:48.287,0:02:49.843
(Laughter)

0:02:50.293,0:02:53.352
So I was afraid to fail again[br]and stopped trying.

0:02:54.132,0:02:55.538
But still,

0:02:55.538,0:03:01.105
this is partly a collection[br]of original models from my recent years.

0:03:01.652,0:03:05.152
So how does a folder become a creator?

0:03:06.779,0:03:09.116
My breakthrough was after a mistake.

0:03:09.306,0:03:11.587
What you see here[br]is the "Star Puff Tessellation"

0:03:11.587,0:03:13.019
by Ralph Conrad.

0:03:13.019,0:03:15.195
And when I tried to refold it -

0:03:15.195,0:03:18.894
because we origami people,[br]we remember with our fingers -

0:03:19.224,0:03:22.241
I got this mutation.

0:03:22.861,0:03:25.664
Now, while he has[br]six-point stars in the center,

0:03:25.664,0:03:30.049
my variation had hexagonal[br]towers spread all over.

0:03:30.049,0:03:34.001
So, annoyed, I called Gilla,[br]the lady who taught me the model,

0:03:34.001,0:03:36.700
and I asked her, "What did I do wrong?"

0:03:36.700,0:03:40.822
And she said, "You did nothing wrong.[br]You actually made a new tessellation."

0:03:41.082,0:03:43.503
That was a moment of revelation for me

0:03:43.503,0:03:46.926
because I realized[br]I can easily make more mistakes.

0:03:46.926,0:03:48.326
(Laughter)

0:03:50.696,0:03:53.481
So my fear of trying to create was over.

0:03:54.751,0:04:00.384
Now, at the age of 38,[br]I was promoted to a lieutenant colonel,

0:04:01.244,0:04:03.971
and just like any other[br]officer at this rank,

0:04:03.971,0:04:06.627
my vision was to become a full colonel.

0:04:08.087,0:04:12.137
I was appointed as a unit commander[br]with about 300 soldiers and officers,

0:04:13.033,0:04:16.908
and although my day was fully packed[br]with discussions, meetings,

0:04:16.908,0:04:19.765
decision-making, drills and exercise,

0:04:19.765,0:04:21.896
I realized that the best moment of my day

0:04:21.896,0:04:24.888
was when I logged in[br]into my Flickr account

0:04:24.888,0:04:27.944
and saw that a 13-year-old from Wisconsin

0:04:27.944,0:04:31.922
gave me a star on one[br]of my latest models I just posted.

0:04:32.272,0:04:34.294
"Well done, Ilan!" he wrote in the notes,

0:04:34.294,0:04:36.077
and I felt so proud.

0:04:36.077,0:04:37.487
(Laughter)

0:04:38.916,0:04:42.317
Four years later,[br]I sat in front of my commander,

0:04:42.317,0:04:44.343
and he told me, quite dryly,

0:04:44.343,0:04:46.844
"Garibi, you will never be promoted."

0:04:47.664,0:04:52.964
So my stomach clenched,[br]but my face showed nothing of it.

0:04:53.764,0:04:56.904
I realized it is time for me to retire.

0:04:56.904,0:05:02.969
Now, for an officer in the army,[br]retirement can evoke fear.

0:05:02.969,0:05:05.051
It's a major blow to your ego:

0:05:05.051,0:05:06.630
you lose your post,

0:05:06.630,0:05:10.101
you lose your stature,[br]you lose half of your salary.

0:05:10.101,0:05:11.146
Moreover,

0:05:11.146,0:05:16.238
high-ranking officers get the impression[br]that anything they say will happen.

0:05:16.383,0:05:17.900
Well, they are wrong.

0:05:17.900,0:05:21.020
When you retire,[br]if you want anything to happen,

0:05:21.020,0:05:23.552
you have to actually do it yourself.

0:05:23.552,0:05:24.676
(Laughter)

0:05:24.676,0:05:29.010
But for me, the retirement[br]was just like origami:

0:05:29.010,0:05:31.873
you get a clean, fresh,[br]square sheet of paper,

0:05:31.873,0:05:34.506
and you have endless opportunities.

0:05:35.470,0:05:37.153
Now, please look at this slide.

0:05:37.639,0:05:41.356
This image shows the other side[br]of the model you just saw before.

0:05:41.786,0:05:47.071
And when I saw this other side,[br]I was much more excited than you are

0:05:47.071,0:05:50.551
because, first, I designed[br]only the first side,

0:05:50.551,0:05:53.295
so I got this side for free,[br]which is always nice:

0:05:53.295,0:05:55.027
you make one, you get two.

0:05:55.687,0:05:57.331
But more importantly,

0:05:57.451,0:06:03.425
I felt so much joy out of the fact [br]that this is my creation - I did this -

0:06:04.045,0:06:10.631
and from that joy, I decided[br]that I'm going to be an origami artist.

0:06:11.051,0:06:15.525
Now as an officer, we were trained,[br]when we start a new course,

0:06:15.525,0:06:18.382
to set a vision, far ahead,

0:06:18.382,0:06:19.913
and just like the North Star,

0:06:19.913,0:06:23.330
it's just supposed to guide you[br]through your new journey.

0:06:24.350,0:06:26.935
But you are not really[br]supposed to reach this vision.

0:06:26.935,0:06:30.773
It's only main function[br]is to keep you in the right direction.

0:06:31.613,0:06:37.473
But I decided I'm going to set my vision[br]as far and high as possible.

0:06:37.473,0:06:39.887
I decided that within 10 years,

0:06:39.887,0:06:42.973
I'm going to be no less[br]than the invited guest

0:06:42.973,0:06:46.237
of the annual Japanese origami convention.

0:06:47.937,0:06:52.637
So how does a folder[br]become an origami artist?

0:06:53.527,0:06:58.249
The first step is to create -[br]as many as you can - models,

0:06:58.249,0:06:59.262
which I did.

0:06:59.262,0:07:00.848
That was the easy part.

0:07:01.279,0:07:04.538
Second step on my program was recognition.

0:07:05.584,0:07:09.637
I was aiming to get the recognition[br]of the origami world.

0:07:10.297,0:07:12.061
Now, origami is about sharing,

0:07:12.061,0:07:16.101
so I started to share[br]diagrams of my designs.

0:07:16.101,0:07:20.900
I started to attend conventions[br]and teach models through workshops.

0:07:21.180,0:07:23.982
I published articles in online magazines.

0:07:24.272,0:07:29.288
I did everything I could[br]to become famous in the origami world

0:07:29.288,0:07:31.756
and get one step closer to my vision.

0:07:32.862,0:07:35.250
But life had other plans for me.

0:07:36.180,0:07:38.221
This is the pineapple tessellation

0:07:38.221,0:07:39.583
with front light.

0:07:40.183,0:07:43.775
Step three on my program was exhibitions.

0:07:44.035,0:07:46.579
I started small in the library[br]in my hometown

0:07:46.579,0:07:48.257
and then in the city nearby,

0:07:49.107,0:07:51.943
but I knew I have to aim higher,

0:07:51.943,0:07:56.227
and I have to reach the cultural center[br]of Israel, which is Tel Aviv.

0:07:56.557,0:08:01.206
Luckily, my brother knew a guy - [br]this is how it works in Israel.

0:08:01.206,0:08:02.286
(Laughter)

0:08:02.286,0:08:04.644
So his name was Gal Gaon,

0:08:05.074,0:08:08.400
and he just opened[br]a design gallery in Tel Aviv.

0:08:08.400,0:08:13.167
And the day we met was the day[br]I appointed him as my mentor,

0:08:13.167,0:08:15.224
which he still is until today.

0:08:15.924,0:08:18.729
And he explained to me,[br]because I knew nothing about it,

0:08:18.729,0:08:21.359
that the design gallery,[br]unlike an art gallery,

0:08:21.359,0:08:23.220
is more into useful items,

0:08:23.220,0:08:26.924
like a table, a ball, maybe a lamp.

0:08:27.874,0:08:31.359
This is the same tessellation[br]you saw before,

0:08:31.359,0:08:33.100
but this time with backlight.

0:08:33.190,0:08:35.409
This is not a computer-generated image:

0:08:35.409,0:08:37.139
it's just paper.

0:08:37.139,0:08:40.875
So although paper is totally unuseful[br]to become a table,

0:08:41.305,0:08:45.537
it is very suitable to be a lampshade,[br]as you can see the effect of light.

0:08:46.359,0:08:50.794
So he asked me if I can design[br]and make four lamps

0:08:50.794,0:08:51.795
in two months' time

0:08:51.795,0:08:53.691
for the opening of the gallery.

0:08:54.281,0:08:56.615
Although I never did it before,

0:08:57.668,0:09:00.098
but I knew that I had[br]a packing knife at home

0:09:00.098,0:09:01.214
and some superglue,

0:09:01.214,0:09:03.256
so I said, "Yes, of course."

0:09:04.231,0:09:06.177
And while getting home,

0:09:06.177,0:09:07.798
I remembered my father teaching me

0:09:07.798,0:09:11.566
that the first tool you took to your hands[br]when you start to make something

0:09:11.566,0:09:13.052
is a pencil.

0:09:13.392,0:09:16.555
So I drew my program,

0:09:17.465,0:09:18.786
and within two months,

0:09:18.786,0:09:22.122
I was able to show[br]four lamps such as this.

0:09:25.343,0:09:27.307
On the evening of the opening night,

0:09:27.307,0:09:30.812
Albi Zerfati, the owner of Aqua Creations,

0:09:30.812,0:09:36.035
which is a highly esteemed[br]lighting studio in Israel,

0:09:36.035,0:09:40.663
came and was very impressed[br]by the beauty of the lampshades,

0:09:40.663,0:09:45.564
and he was smart enough to ignore[br]the craftsmanship of everything beside it,

0:09:45.934,0:09:50.041
and he asked me if I wanted to join hands[br]and design a lamp for him,

0:09:50.041,0:09:55.272
to be presented five months later[br]in Milan Design Week.

0:09:56.252,0:09:59.739
Now, I didn't really know[br]what Milan Design Week means,

0:10:00.159,0:10:01.959
but I said, "Yes, of course,"

0:10:03.789,0:10:05.010
and five months later,

0:10:05.010,0:10:08.237
I was standing by this lamp

0:10:08.237,0:10:12.115
in what should be considered[br]as the pinnacle of the design world,

0:10:12.115,0:10:13.587
in Milan,

0:10:13.929,0:10:17.273
highly proud, but also quite confused.

0:10:17.273,0:10:19.995
Because, you see,[br]when you stand in Tel Aviv,

0:10:20.785,0:10:24.414
Milan is to the west,[br]but Japan is to the east.

0:10:24.414,0:10:28.968
So will this lamp take me[br]any closer to my vision?

0:10:29.178,0:10:30.844
What is my vision now?

0:10:32.894,0:10:34.290
Just to close a circle -

0:10:34.290,0:10:38.337
three years ago, a new Japanese[br]restaurant in Tokyo

0:10:38.337,0:10:41.446
decided to decorate the place[br]with those lamps.

0:10:42.086,0:10:43.777
But back to Milan,

0:10:43.777,0:10:47.273
I decided it is time[br]to embrace a powerful concept,

0:10:47.853,0:10:49.590
the concept of "and."

0:10:49.850,0:10:54.290
I'm going to be an origami[br]artist "and" a designer.

0:10:55.710,0:10:59.190
Now, at a certain point,[br]there will be an unavoidable question.

0:10:59.190,0:11:01.909
You will ask me, "Where is the money?"

0:11:01.909,0:11:03.381
(Laughter)

0:11:04.241,0:11:06.593
"Can you make a living out of origami?"

0:11:07.083,0:11:12.642
Now, for the origami world, [br]paper is almost everything.

0:11:12.642,0:11:16.915
But for the design world,[br]paper is not so useful.

0:11:17.265,0:11:20.489
It's too weak, it's too common,[br]it's too cheap.

0:11:21.519,0:11:27.212
But since I'm a designer now, I realized[br]maybe I should redefine what folding is.

0:11:27.732,0:11:32.755
Instead of trying to reinforce paper[br]to be strong enough to become a table,

0:11:32.755,0:11:36.580
maybe I can fold materials[br]that are used to make tables from.

0:11:37.250,0:11:38.783
So I started to research

0:11:38.823,0:11:42.403
every possible material[br]that came in a sheet form.

0:11:42.708,0:11:47.655
I started with wood because wood[br]is premature paper, after all.

0:11:48.595,0:11:52.619
And I realized that if you used[br]thin enough layers of wood,

0:11:52.619,0:11:56.746
with the help of laser engraving,[br]I can fold it just like paper.

0:11:57.126,0:12:03.042
I also tried my hand with fabric,[br]leather, plastic, cement,

0:12:03.042,0:12:05.269
even clay, even glass.

0:12:05.499,0:12:07.207
But what about metal?

0:12:11.647,0:12:16.112
When I was a kid, I was smaller,[br]thinner and weaker than most,

0:12:16.422,0:12:19.897
but I knew, I just knew,[br]that I have superpowers

0:12:19.897,0:12:22.295
that will be released[br]when I am in a dire need,

0:12:22.295,0:12:25.632
like I'm under an upside-down bus,

0:12:25.632,0:12:30.364
and I will suddenly have the power[br]to bend the rods, the metal rods,

0:12:30.364,0:12:32.524
and free myself and all the others.

0:12:33.144,0:12:36.880
Now, as you can see,[br]I never grew any formidable muscles,

0:12:38.065,0:12:40.809
so I realized that[br]if I want to fold metal,

0:12:40.809,0:12:43.459
I have to outsmart the metal.

0:12:43.459,0:12:46.429
I have to use my wits.

0:12:46.599,0:12:49.766
So instead of trying to become[br]stronger than the metal,

0:12:49.766,0:12:55.263
all I need to do is to make sure[br]that the crease lines are weaker than me.

0:12:57.303,0:13:01.067
So in a way, I'm folding[br]metal with my mind.

0:13:01.207,0:13:05.124
This is a nice case of mind over matter,[br]if you think of about it.

0:13:07.064,0:13:09.732
I started on a small scale with jewelries.

0:13:09.732,0:13:12.283
I never did make any jewelries before,

0:13:12.283,0:13:16.214
but you know me by now -[br]I like to stand for a challenge.

0:13:16.615,0:13:18.071
Those jewelries that you see,

0:13:18.071,0:13:21.329
each of them is hand folded [br]from a single sheet of brass,

0:13:21.329,0:13:23.480
based on my paper designs.

0:13:25.820,0:13:28.496
On a larger scale, I fold stainless steel

0:13:28.776,0:13:33.453
that has a substantial thickness[br]of one millimeter with mirror finishing.

0:13:33.453,0:13:38.063
And I fold it only slightly, so you get[br]so many reflections from the surfaces.

0:13:40.223,0:13:42.245
My work is kind of invisible

0:13:42.395,0:13:43.819
because when you look at it,

0:13:43.819,0:13:46.609
you don't see the work itself,[br]you see the reflections.

0:13:46.609,0:13:48.359
In a way, it's a kind of cheating

0:13:48.359,0:13:50.298
because every time you look at my work,

0:13:50.298,0:13:53.169
all you see is yourself[br]from so many angles.

0:13:53.569,0:13:55.495
So you have to love that, of course.

0:13:55.495,0:13:56.784
(Laughter)

0:13:57.514,0:14:00.720
And since I am a guy[br]who likes to stand for a challenge,

0:14:01.268,0:14:04.741
finally, after seven years,[br]my mentor asked me to make tables.

0:14:05.161,0:14:08.991
Here are some tables, each made[br]from a single sheet of stainless steel,

0:14:08.991,0:14:12.189
just folded, using my hands.

0:14:14.739,0:14:16.040
(Applause)

0:14:16.040,0:14:19.395
We are not finished. Thank you.

0:14:21.255,0:14:26.019
Please take a look at the far end[br]of this two-Michelin-star restaurant.

0:14:26.679,0:14:28.071
Ten years ago,

0:14:28.071,0:14:33.341
I dreamt of becoming the invited guest[br]of the Japanese annual origami convention.

0:14:33.341,0:14:37.704
Six years after,[br]I was invited as an artist

0:14:38.574,0:14:41.495
to install a commissioned work[br]of metal origami

0:14:41.495,0:14:43.897
at the bar of this restaurant.

0:14:44.637,0:14:47.884
Now, as we get closer to the bar[br]to see its beauty,

0:14:47.884,0:14:50.992
I realized that getting [br]too close to your vision

0:14:50.992,0:14:54.799
means it doesn't function[br]as your North Star anymore,

0:14:55.029,0:14:56.545
and you have to push it away,

0:14:56.545,0:14:57.992
farther away.

0:14:58.312,0:15:00.279
Now, I'm the achiever type,

0:15:00.279,0:15:02.577
and when I climb a mountain,

0:15:02.577,0:15:06.488
I have to make sure it is higher[br]than the one I climbed yesterday,

0:15:06.488,0:15:12.914
so it is time for me to find and reach[br]a higher peak to conquer.

0:15:14.792,0:15:18.198
I call this model "Adulthood."

0:15:19.398,0:15:23.043
Like most of my works, it is made[br]out of a single sheet of paper,

0:15:23.043,0:15:25.262
just folded, no cuts or glue.

0:15:25.825,0:15:29.690
When I was a child,[br]I always wanted to be a fighter pilot.

0:15:29.690,0:15:31.710
Today, I'm a teacher:

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I teach origami for industrial designers.

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I'm the author of four books [br]about origami and paper puzzles.

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I'm a jewelry maker, a designer,[br]and an origami artist.

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In 2014, I was the invited guest [br]at the Polish convention;

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a year later, in Italy;

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in 2017, it was France;

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last year, Mexico.

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And this is how far[br]a square sheet of paper can take you

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if you are fearless,[br]flexible and follow your vision.

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So just imagine how far [br]your square sheet of paper can take you.

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(Applause)(Cheering)

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Thank you.

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(Applause)