ARTI’VIEW by ARCHES® – Jonathan REBOUILLAT, revealing the soul of animals through origami

What techniques do you use?

I use a particular origami technique known as wet-folding. I start with a square of ARCHES® Aquarelle paper and dampen it so it becomes pliable. Origami then becomes more than just folds and geometry. Curves start to emerge, and as the paper dries, it holds those shapes. It’s truly magical! Working within these limitations is part of what makes origami so beautiful. I use paper with a different colour on each side, and I can paint both sides with acrylics before I start folding. I then have to rely on the folds to bring each colour into exactly the right place in the finished piece. No scissors are needed and no brushstrokes are added afterwards! Origami is all about transformation. A single square of paper can become a myriad of animals. In that sense, origami is a fantastic metaphor for the connections between all living beings on this planet – symbolically, we all come from the same piece of paper. We’re just folded in different ways.

© Jonathan Rebouillat – Avocette élégante – Origami created from ARCHES® Aquarelle paper

© Jonathan Rebouillat – Renards roux – Origami created from ARCHES® Aquarelle paper

In a few words, how would you describe your art?

Revealing the essence of an animal – its beauty and its way of being in the world – through just a few folds.

Why did you choose ARCHES® AQUARELLE RAG paper for your photographic prints of your origami pieces?

I create my origami pieces using ARCHES® Aquarelle paper. Once each piece is complete, I take it back to the animal’s natural habitat to photograph it, right where I first observed the creature that inspired it. I place it where its real-life counterpart belongs – sometimes on a cliff face, sometimes with its feet immersed in a pond. When I exhibit my work, I show the folded pieces themselves, as well as photographs of them in situ, as if to immerse viewers in nature alongside me, watching and waiting. For me, printing my photographs on the same paper I use to bring my origami creations to life is an obvious choice. It’s a way of paying tribute to the magic of this cotton paper, which miraculously takes shape and changes form in my hands.

© Jonathan Rebouillat – Raton laveur – Print on ARCHES® AQUARELLE RAG paper

© Jonathan Rebouillat – Flamants roses – Print on ARCHES® AQUARELLE RAG paper

© Jonathan Rebouillat – Grèbes – Print on ARCHES® AQUARELLE RAG paper

What are the subjects that inspire you?

The living world inspires me. All animals fascinate me, but I must admit that birds are my main source of inspiration. Every living being has its own beauty, its own way of inhabiting the Earth. Through patient observation, I seek to preserve what makes each one unique.

Tell us about a decisive moment in your career as an artist

I went to my first origami convention in Lyon, France in 2016. For four days, it felt as though time stood still as I folded paper alongside other origami enthusiasts and artists who had travelled from all over the world. I hadn’t created a single piece at that point, yet I made two life-changing encounters.

The first was with Giang Dinh, a Vietnamese origami artist who uses the wet-folding technique. I got to fold with him and see his creations up close, whereas up to then I’d only seen pictures of them.

The second was with ARCHES® paper! At that same convention, a German origami artist named Alexander Kurtz gave me the opportunity to fold a square of ARCHES® Aquarelle paper for the first time. What a gift that moment turned out to be! Once dampened, this paper can be folded and curved dozens of times without linting or retaining too many marks from previous folds. It really is magical! Ever since then, there’s been something deeply moving – almost ceremonial – about dampening a piece of ARCHES® paper before creating new origami. A moment of silence is in order. To me, this paper is precious – even sacred.

© Jonathan Rebouillat – Chouette effraie – Origami created from ARCHES® Aquarelle paper

ARCHES® paper in one word?

Magical

Do you have any other projects on the go or planned?

Last autumn, I published my first book, entitled Origami Sauvage, with Kobalann, the publishing house set up by renowned photographer and film-maker Vincent Munier. Now I’m working to promote it. I’m doing this by showcasing my work at a number of festivals, including the Montier-en-Der festival in late November of this year.