15 Giant Origami Installations That Will Amaze You

If you think origami is just for making swans from napkins, well, it’s actually a little more than that. While the usual origami can be made at home with paper the size of your palm, the 15 giant origami sculptures in this post are going to blow your mind.

Days and weeks have been put into creating these gigantic and ridiculously oversized origami projects. From fantastic giant swans to bulls, dragons, and even a paper boat (you just have to have one of those), these giant installations were inspired by classic origami designs and blown up to humongous proportions for your viewing pleasure.

White Elephant by Sipho Mabona

Swiss origami artist Sipho Mabona has folded a massive life-sized elephant from a specially produced 2,500 square foot sheet of paper at the Art Museum in Beromünster, Switzerland. Sipho needed the help of up to 10 people to lift and fold the elephant into reality.

Crouching Digital Origami Tigers by LAVA

Commissioned in 2010 by the Customs House in Sydney, Australia, these tigers were then adopted by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). These "large" cats are made of recyclable materials and are brought to life with pulsating low-energy LED lighting.

Painted Ponies by Kevin Box

These origami horses are currently located at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden as part of the artist’s "Origami In The Garden" exhibition. It’s quite amazing how it can look delicate yet strong at the same time.

Giant Origami Blackbirds by Matthew Gilson

Folded from 9′ x 9′ squares, these giant origami blackbirds were created by photographer Matthew Gilson. They now greet visitors in his Milwaukee Avenue studio.

Paper Boat by Frank Bolter

This paper boat, suitably named "HMS Origami", has floated down the River Thames in London. It measured 5.4m in length. German conceptual artist Frank Bolter (not him in the picture) used a special sort of paper that would normally be used in the manufacture of drink cartons.

Origami Dragon by Hawaii Origami Club

Made by the Hawaii Origami Club, this cool red origami dragon represents a particular element of fantasy that could easily be found in various children’s books.

Origami Chair by Hiroki Yoshihara, Sandra McKee and Ivan Aguirre

This chair was made using a sheet of polypropylene, which is light and rigid enough to become the structure but soft enough that it can actually bend many times – makes for a comfy sit.

Ascension, The Crane by Crimson Collective. Coachella is one of the biggest music festivals in the US. In 2010, this massive installation called Ascension, The Crane became the centerpiece at the festival’s entrance. It was illuminated with colored lights, which makes it appear even more powerful and huge.

Hero’s Horse Monument by Kevin Box Studio

The mythological pegasus has always been an inspiration for many. Installed in 2014, this white pegasus origami structure is an amazing 21 feet tall.

White Bison by Kevin Box Studio

This white bison which was folded then cast in bronze still looks delicate like paper. This artwork was inspired by an origami paper bison made earlier by artist Robert J. Lang. Its size is 52’³ x 20’³ x 85’³.

Giant Origami Crane by Bananas Projects

Last year, Logan Square welcomed its visitors with a huge 10-foot tall origami crane created out of bed sheets. Sima Cunningham, a 24-year-old musician who lives at the house off Fairfield Avenue and Logan Boulevard, as well as a group of her friends came up with this idea.

Anything Can Break by Pinaree Sanpitak

Debuting in 2012 at the 18th Biennale of Sydney, this large-scale installation is suspended from the ceiling. It is made up of origami cubes and glass clouds and acts as an interactive soundscape.

Rhinoceros Origami by Eric Joisel

Originally trained as a sculptor, Mr. Joisel was a self-taught origami artist. His work resembles that of no other artist in the genre. This giant folded rhinoceros is made from a single sheet of paper with no cuts.

HINWEG / AWAY by Sipho Mabona

This vivid and awesome installation of origami people hanging from balloons was featured as part of the Afrikanischen Literaturtage in September, 2001 at Kornschütte Luzern.

Giant Dynamic Interactive Origami Sculpture by Jonas Lobo

This giant motorized origami sculpture resembles a shell. It was made out of a single sheet of folded paper, wires and various electronic components and was shown at the NYC Maker Faire 2013.