Hearing that artist Matthew Shlian failed Algebra in high school is astonishing once you see his work, as it’s clear the guy is a geometric genius. Paper-folding is Shlian’s forte, and if that sounds frivolous or like “merely” art, consider that he’s also been commissioned by scientists and researchers at the University of Michigan. “We work on the nanoscale, translating paper structures to micro folds,” Shlian explains. “Our investigations extend to visualizing cellular division and solar cell development. Researchers see paper engineering as a metaphor for scintific princiapls; I see their inquiry as basis for artistic inspiration.” On the commercial side, Shlian does work for companies as diverse as Apple, the United States Mint and Ghostly International, the latter of which commissioned this vid explaining what he does: Matthew Shlian works within the increasingly nebulous space between art and engineering. As a paper engineer, Shlian’s work is rooted in print media, book arts, and commercial design, though he frequently finds himself collaborating with a cadre of scientists and researchers who are just now recognizing the practical connections between paper folding and folding at microscopic and nanoscopic scales. Just watch the video bellow, and than pay a visit at his website.
