Amsterdam-based artist Ingrid Siliakus constructs three-dimensional architectural sculptures out of delicate white paper.
Silvanus' ‘Paper Architecture’ project features famous architectural landmarks such as Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, and each work looks as though it is part of a pop-up book.
Siliakus crafts her paper models similar to how an architect plans their buildings — placing importance on drafting a two-dimensional design, then crafting the three-dimensional structure.
Siliakus takes inspiration from the Japanese professor and artist, Professor Masahiro Chatani, who is known for his origamic architectural forms fashioned from one sheet of paperboard.
Within the last decade, origamic architecture has become an useful architectural tool to expand ideas and visualise architectural and design projects in both 3D and 2D.
Mirroring Chatani's sculptural forms, Siliakus also builds her pieces from one single sheet of paper.
When starting her artistic process, each structural layer is considered and Siliakus starts by building twenty to thirty prototypes before finalizing her design. The process is delivered with meditative precision, and if her concentration is lost for a second this can lead to a drastic design fault.
After the design stage is finished, Siliakus uses a combination of cutting and folding techniques — layer by layer — to build her lightweight structures ranging from 160 to 300 grams.
The paper is manipulated into three-dimensional shapes such as building facades, windows and rooftops. Each architectural detail is framed with paper, which resembles the skylines of vast urban environments.
To view more of Siliakus’s work, visit her website.
