The Art of Haruki Nakamura’s Paper Toys

Adults are just big kids, or so the saying goes, and this sentiment is not contradicted by artist Haruki Nakamura who excels in mechanical origami. The beautiful folds of his work create a bestiary that unfolds and comes alive when tilted, thrown or touched.

The technique he uses, kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting, is combined with traditional origami.

Combining paper and mechanics

Born in 1967, Haruki Nakamura was 27 when he discovered the encyclopaedia of paper making techniques. He first learnt this meticulous art before seriously starting to produce work in 2000, which he has sold on his website ever since. His creations are named Kami Kara for kami, paper in Japanese, and karakuri, mechanism.

This paper engineer juggles coloured paper and scissors to assemble, piece by piece, original works that take original forms such as a penguin, the planet Earth and an armadillo. To entertain and share his passion, he continues to create animated paper puppets that are loved by all ages.

Haruki Nakamura’s Paper Toys kits are sold by Magnote.