Takayuki Senzaki’s Magical Origami

22 Nov 2007 Category: Features, Graphics, Japan

Takayuki Senzaki’s Magical Origami

An ocean of light - shadow dance with the "RANBU CHANDELIERE" at the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine festival, Fukuoka.

Using Japanese origami, Kyushu-based artist Takayuki Senzaki creates beautiful decor, like playing with shadows and creating cute plant patterns with traditional paper with designs that change when it is folded. During this year’s DesignTide, his colourful origami-style chandeliers as part of his ORIKAMI exhibition filled the walls with mysterious shadows creating a magical atmosphere. PingMag just had to visit Takayuki Senzaki right away.

Written by Ryoko
Translated by Natsumi Yamane

First, what exactly do you do?

I work as graphic designer and art director, based in Kyushu. With TETUSIN I’m also involved in design direction of stores and production of spatial and fabric works using plant-themed graphics.

“RANBU CHANDELIERE” from his “ORIKAMI” exhibition , part of the Tide Extension.

What made you decide to use origami in the first place?

I started when I was in charge of the art direction for the “Lights of the Ancient City of Dazaifu” exhibition that was part of the Sentoumyou Festival at the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Fukuoka. The exhibition had three requirements; to be a workshop style exhibition, to take light as its theme – as it was a night exhibition – and to have a concept that matched the Dazaifu Tenmangu festival. So I came up with the image of the origami chandeliers and the origami garden.


A collection of sheets of origami paper printed with Senzaki’s graphics.

A majestic tree on origami paper - when folded it turns into a zebra pattern!

“STOOL, SIDE TABLE”. This functional furniture is inspired by a simple origami design.

In preparation to that exhibition, I organised several workshops at the Kyushu National Museum in advance, to gather origami works to be used in the large exhibition. At the workshops, I asked people to write their wishes on a sheet of origami paper before folding them. A lot of people volunteered for this project. I also held a workshop on the festival day and showed these origami works at Dazaifu Tenmangu.

“Wish Upon a Paper,” an origami dome installation! Magical beauty at the Dazaifu Tenmangu autumn festival.

Folding a sheet of paper with your wishes and using it as lighting is an act that symbolises dedication to God. I also chose the plush and attractive chandelier as a contrast to the inexpensive origami paper that everyone in Japan is familiar with. I thought that would highlight the appeal of origami, and also remind people of its beauty.


Origami folded by workshop participants with their wishes included…

…and marvelous lighting further accentuates the beauty of the paper craft!

Why do you use plant motifs so often?

In my early twenties, I was really into design and contemporary art and used to visit Tokyo frequently. Then one day I went to Kyoto for no particular reason and found myself deeply moved by a garden I found there! Actually, I was in my twenties but that was the first time something moved me to tears! It was an experience of mixed feelings, with emotions surging from the innermost depths of my body and the denial of my existing values. In that garden existed everything that I believed was modern in design and art!

Wall graphics for the “Rinden Nursery Staircase” with wishes for the children’s bright futures.

Since then, I’ve been visiting Kyoto at least once every season to look at various gardens across the city. Actually, I seriously considered becoming a gardener once, but I had no experience in landscaping. The gap between the ideal and the real was so wide that I thought it might be more fun to challenge spatial graphic design works rather than starting from square one with gardening.

The “Medetashi Medetashi Hajimari Hajimari” display for the Children’s Book Carnival exhibition by NTT West. Various characters from children’s stories are drawn at the bottom of the wall, and the space itself functions as a children’s book. It was art directed by Takayuki Nishimura, with text by Kyoko Kawakami.

For me, wall graphics – painting pictures on walls and windows – are a kind of garden constructed on a flat surface. The viewer can change their perspective by walking around in the room or looking at different times of the day… it might be similar to traditional sliding screen paintings, too. Also, that expression stems from the philosophy that a garden exists within people’s hearts regardless of their religion, and it does not necessarily need to present itself in an actual space…

A collaboration with USHIO SPAX, from the Kyushu “Designing Exhibition.” The shop walls and windows are beautifully decorated by Takayuki’s graphics. Lighting by Shoichi Kumasaka.

The shop’s interior decorations include seemingly floating trees called “chuju.”

Are there any of your works you feel particularly attached to?

I tend to start thinking of the next challenge as soon as I am finished with an exhibition or an event, so not really. Also as a person, I’m a positive thinker who doesn’t linger too much on the past. (laughs) And of course, there are still so many more things I want to do…

Delicate flower graphics trailing up the walls! Placing a real glass vase in front makes a nice trompe l’oeil.

Finally, can you tell us about your next projects?

I have plans for two window graphics in Fukuoka this month, one is the Christmas decorations for the Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel which I have just finished.

A gigantic wreath of a page from a children’s book. Lovely!

Also in February next year, I will be working on the second “SWEETS” event at the Thrush Cafe in Fukuoka. This is a gourmet and graphic collaboration with the culinary expert Yoshiko Shimokawa. It involves decorating chocolate leaves on top of the graphics of dead trees and representing the centre of a flower with Japanese sweets. This should be a yummy event, both for the eyes and for the palate! As for the rest of the year, I would like to develop more products for my “TETUSIN” brand as well as creating more spatial works.

A delicate graphic of bare trees growing chocolate leaves as shown at the SWEET event at Thrush Cafe in Fukuoka.

Origami graphic artist Takayuki Senzaki.

Takayuki, thank you very much for your wonderful origami art!

32 Comments

  1. [...] הוצגו בשבוע העיצוב שהיה בטוקיו ומדווחות בפינגמאג, מגזין עיצוב אינטרנטי יפני [...]

    Posted by: אוריגזמי on November 22nd, 2007 at 8:33 pm

  2. that is stunning.

    Posted by: jam on November 23rd, 2007 at 4:21 am

  3. nice! very-very! ~~~
    russian like you)

    Posted by: Ya on November 23rd, 2007 at 4:45 am

  4. so beautifull…. a work of art and heart…

    Posted by: Mariza on November 23rd, 2007 at 3:00 pm

  5. Oragami is so fun! The dome place looks so cool!

    Posted by: Troy on November 23rd, 2007 at 4:49 pm

  6. This Japanese origami rocks!

    Posted by: Japanese Origami on November 23rd, 2007 at 5:09 pm

  7. [...] Was man mit Origami alles machen kann, zeigt ein Bericht bei PingMag über die beeindruckende Arbeit von Takayuki [...]

    Posted by: Schont die Nerven: Origami at taxipluto on November 23rd, 2007 at 5:50 pm

  8. oh my god!! this is all so.. I don’t know.. magic! I wished I could have those walls, they’re so cool!

    Posted by: nana on November 23rd, 2007 at 11:27 pm

  9. This is inspirational, thank you for publishing this article!

    Posted by: Paul Bellamy on November 24th, 2007 at 12:54 am

  10. very wonderful. makes like another world.
    viva!!

    Posted by: minako on November 24th, 2007 at 3:07 am

  11. Shows the beauty of origami, how paper can become a piece of art.

    Posted by: Anonymous on November 24th, 2007 at 7:51 am

  12. Ahh the joy of having roommates.
    I’ve had plenty of
    toronto roommate. From living with a stripper, to living with an alcoholic and a pot head, to living with another alcoholic and a coworker. For instance, the other day I came home to find the sliding door cracked open, beer cans all over the kitchen counter, and one of the chairs flipped upside down, leaning against the couch. It was like the Hulk had come through and had a party.
    So I wanna know, what stories do you have of past and present roommates?
    tl;dr HULK SMASH!

    Posted by: hopRomFrara on November 24th, 2007 at 9:14 am

  13. HI,
    PLEASE, DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE CAN I ORDER BUNKA-SHISHU?
    I´ve been looking for a website (Tokio bunka-shishu) to see the catalogue and order but been unable to find it.
    Thanks!!
    Cheers from Argentina!!

    Posted by: javier on November 25th, 2007 at 8:15 am

  14. すごい！

    Posted by: punktpunktpunkt on November 26th, 2007 at 12:02 am

  15. It is wonderful to see paper used in such beautiful and innovative forms. The interplay between the table-tree-branches and chocolate-leaves at the SWEETS event is brilliant.

    Posted by: kyle on November 26th, 2007 at 9:05 am

  16. So great to see someone who captivates us beyond aesthetics.

    Posted by: Aroldo on November 26th, 2007 at 9:38 am

  17. Stunning work. Loved the wall graphics, and especially the “chuju”.
    I’m not too sure about the name “Thrush Cafe”? Doesn’t really sound like a place you’d want to dine at. Perhaps “Thrush” has a different meaning in Japan?

    Posted by: eric on November 27th, 2007 at 8:44 am

  18. stunning artwork! I really moved by Senzaki-san’s work. it feels like a merge from childhood memory and rusning modern life.

    Posted by: MooNyk on November 29th, 2007 at 12:04 pm

  19. Takayuki Senzaki. wow!

    Posted by: Anonymous on December 3rd, 2007 at 6:23 pm

  20. what an amazing artwork!! very inspiring, and very mood pumping artwork! keep it up takayuki senzaki! ganbatte! cheers from indonesia :)

    Posted by: enrica rinintya on December 4th, 2007 at 7:28 pm

  21. [...] Read an interview with Takayuki on PingMag [...]

    Posted by: Designer Origami Chandeliers on December 15th, 2007 at 10:23 am

  22. [...] look over an to with Takayuki on PingMag [...]

    Posted by: FacileCrafts » Blog Archive » Designer Origami Chandeliers on December 15th, 2007 at 12:40 pm

  23. [...] PingMag Filed under: Origami [...]

    Posted by: Origami Chandeliers & More | GEMAGA.COM on December 18th, 2007 at 7:28 am

  24. a wonderful job nice nice!!! i like a lot!!!!

    Posted by: edgar ruezga on January 9th, 2008 at 9:12 am

  25. The window decorations are so beautiful.

    Posted by: Tosh on February 17th, 2008 at 10:16 am

  26. its wonderful. when we see it i said what was it ..

    Posted by: kurye on February 22nd, 2008 at 3:57 am

  27. coudn’t explain wat Im feel now!!!

    Posted by: paul on February 26th, 2008 at 8:24 pm

  28. How cool! I would have never thought of that!

    Posted by: Anonymous on May 26th, 2008 at 5:54 pm

  29. Japanese Oragami is so fun! so beautiful.

    Posted by: katlama on May 31st, 2008 at 2:14 pm

  30. Muito Bonito e criativo! Parabéns!!!

    Posted by: leleco on June 19th, 2008 at 4:50 pm

  31. [...] http://pingmag.jp/2007/11/22/takayuki-senzaki/ Designer who uses origami in lamps [...]

    Posted by: Links and Pic of Old Tessellation « Student Flotsam and Origami Jetsam on August 25th, 2008 at 1:43 am

  32. In my early twenties, I was really into design and contemporary art and used to visit Tokyo frequently.

    Posted by: lexapro on December 18th, 2009 at 7:24 pm

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