Some time ago, our blogger Marta Reig wrote about Kamikara, paper sculptures by Haruki Nakamura, including an impressive mobile heart made of paper and an enormous conch shell... We thought it was really difficult to make these paper sculptures, but now we can make them at home! There are two books that will help you enjoy this simple pastime. And both books include very pretty and original designs.
Each book contains more than 10 templates of Kamikara paper sculptures. I’ve had a go at making three sculptures featured in the first book: biting fish, lion, and Western Rockhopper Penguin. Each sculpture has a different trick: the fish bites when you take it out of the envelop; the penguin appears all of a sudden when you drop the folded paper on a table; and the lion opens its mouth when you push its belly. If you want to understand how this works, I recommend that you watch the amazing Karakami video below.
Kamikara is easy to assemble. Just cut out the cardboard and use some glue and a rubber band for each sculpture. There are three levels of difficulty. The most laborious step is cutting out the cardboard (the second book has dotted lines to help you cut the figures out). Models that are harder to make are also harder to cut out. Once you’ve cut them out, putting the sculptures together is a fairly quick process... that’s when the fun begins! In general, assembly isn’t all that difficult, even with the more complicated sculptures (although it does require a good dose of patience...) The best part of the process is when you’re done putting the sculpture together and find that it actually works! After what you’ve been through, that’s sure to put a huge smile on your face.
The biting fish is one of the easiest Karakami to make. It’s also easy to cut out. It takes less than 45 minutes to put together. The lion and the penguin a bit more complicated, it might take you an hour and a half or close to 2 hours. Because they have a lot of curves to cut out and the way their tricks work is more sophisticated. A word of advice: when you start sticking the smaller pieces on, be very careful with the glue so you won’t make a mistake and spread it somewhere that doesn’t require glue...
Once you’re finished, you’ll realized that Kamikara systems are actually quite simple, and you’ll be amazed at the result. It’s a product for adults but you can also make them with children. You’ll win their admiration once you’re finished putting a Kamikara together.
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Kamikara books
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