The Implications of Paper Craft.

TREND: The global economic meltdown has moved artists toward more humble mediums to express their work- in this case simple, inexpensive paper.

For a while now I’ve been noticing a lot of paper craft in the art world. These projects have ranged from a 17-foot cardboard sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi, a perfectly crafted miniature replica of Howl's Moving Castle from Japanese director and artist Miyazaki, and even a Hermes Kelly bag!

Howl's Moving Castle by Ben Millet

17-foot tall sculpture of Mahatma Ghandi by Joseph DeLappe, a professor at the University of Nevada.

Hermes Kelly bag by Hermes courtesy of NotCot.org

Even more interesting was how closely some of the runway looks from the collections of New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 resembled paper craft art forms. In particular I am referring to Marc Jacobs peek-a-boo jacket and the Marchesa dress shown below.

Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2010 collection

Marchesa Spring/Summer 2010 collection

Whether these designers were directly inspired by paper craft is less important than the idea of the organic movement of trends across cultures. In other words, this is the first time I’ve noticed a possible connection across art forms (in this case sculpture to apparel/accessories) which is pretty exciting. My guess is that the paper craft movement represents a desire for simplicity in today’s tumultuous global economy and the idea that elegant solutions can be achieved for a minimal cost, not to mention the continued importance of sustainability in using a material that can easily be recycled.