Help an artist build (and stream) a lifesize origami elephant

 

 

When people think origami, they tend to imagine small, artfully folded creations. But artist Sipho Mabona wants to do something much bigger and much more exciting. He's planning to make a life-size origami sculpture of the biggest land mammal around — an elephant, and to livestream the entire production.

Mabono has taken to Indiegogo to fundraise for the project, which will see him and three assistants folding the elephant out of a 15x15 meter (50x50 feet) sheet over the course of days. He'll also set up a series of video cameras to livestream the construction online, as well as to release a later timelapse.

Since the elephant is so immense — planned to clock in at three meters tall — it requires a support structure, and will be sealed with acrylic paint. Mabona is seeking $24,000 in funding for the project, which, if it exceeds that amount, will be expanded to other animals, too. If you lend your backing to the project, you can get anything from video instructions for various origami, through art prints, some of Mabona's actual origami, casts of his folding patterns, and more.

The project has around $20,000 more to raise in the 28 days remaining in the funding cycle — but unlike Kickstarter, this project will still receive all the donations, even if the target isn't met.

(via Colossal)