Shaping Space and Forming Dimensionality through Origami Practice

Space surrounds and enfolds the breadth of our doings. It is vital in relational perspectives on designing because relations exist both in and because of space. This is especially apparent in practice-led design research, in which world-building is predicated on repeated flows that form becomings. Through diverse documentation of the author's origami research, this exploratory paper investigates how engagement with space in the making process provides a rich medium for new perspectives on relationality. Specifically, when space is perceived as alive and dynamic — physically made alongside the artifact — its activation reveals new potentialities for identifying relations and interdependencies. This exploration draws on concepts from philosophy, psychology, and mathematics to propose an alternate view of how relations constitute processes of becoming, and its aim is to present a specific case of making that may be abstracted to shape discussion around the role of relationality in designing.