August 2018
 
The report of the XXIXth International and National
Origami Convetion in Hungary
 
 
The Hungarian Origami Society recently celebrated its 30th Anniversary.
I was invited to be the special guest at their convention that was held in Kecskemet, Hungary from August 9-12, 2018. It was an honor to be chosen and I had a wonderful time during my visit to Hungary.
 
invitation invitation poster
 
 
Thursday, August 9th Origami Convention Day 1
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Media interview

The president and staff of the Hungarian Origami Society were interviewed by the media who wanted to know about the 30th Anniversary celebration.

I was asked to speak about origami. Panna, a young girl who speaks both Japanese and Hungarian, helped me translate my words into Hungarian.

 
 
Friday, August 10th Origami Convention Day 2
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The Cifra Palota
Leskovsky Instrument Museum
Leskovsky Instrument Museum
We had a busy morning .

We visited the Toy Museum which is the place where the Hungarian Origami Society was founded 30 years ago. Judit Saji and Zsuzsanna Kricskovics shared their memories from the past. Then Judit taught us three action models: a grasshopper, an inchworm, and a tumbler. All were fun to play with. We also visited the Cifra Palota (Decorated Palace) which is one of the most extraordinary buildings in Kecskemet.

We then went to a very unique museum that had a large collection of musical instruments. I found the exhibits to be fascinating and would recommend this museum if you visit Kecskemet.

Before lunch on Friday, the convention attendees started to arrive. They were carrying heavy suitcases and wearing big smiles.

Everyone received a large envelope containing the schedule for the convention, a keycord, a special wooden box that had the attendee’s name on it, and a beautiful origami magazine that was filled with diagrams for many of my origami models.
Origami magazine Special wooden box
At 17:00, I led an origami workshop for the attendees. About one hundred people assembled to listen to my original story, "Let's Go to Philip Island to See the Fairy Penguin" .
As I told the story, I taught the audience how to fold many models including: an airplane, a sailboat and a Singing Penguin. Everyone had a good time.
■More photos
At 18:00, we went into the restaurant for dinner where we found a nice surprise. On the tables, there were small, neatly folded boxes for everyone. Inside each box was a beautifully folded heart-shaped origami ring decorated with the number thirty.
Teaching how to fold Tetra Bag Heart-shaped origami ring

Received a prize!
Because it was the 30th Convention, Judit Saji, the current president of the Hungarian Origami Society, made a speech. The society's past presidents, Mariann Villyani and Zsuzsanna Krickskovics also made speeches. All three women spoke about their memories of the society.

After the speeches, we watched a video about the history of the Hungarian Origami Society. We enjoyed watching photos of the past conventions and the special guests that attended. I saw a photo of the famous origami artist, Akira Yoshizawa. Many people were commended for their participation in the society .

I made a short speech in Hungarian and taught the group how to fold a Tetra Bag out of washi paper. I was so pleased when everyone complemented me!

After dinner, we returned to the hotel. Many people began folding in the conference room. I was very tired so I decided to go to bed.
 
Saturday, August 11th Origami Convention Day 3
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Origami models introduced in workshop
We are on move
Making kusadamas
Glowing up Kecskemet
Glowing up Kecskemet
Glowing decoration
 

Today was a busy day for both me and the folders.

The workshops began at 9:00 AM and lasted until 16:05 PM with a break for lunch. Each workshop was 45 minutes long.

I introduced many of my original models including:

  • Chick
  • Sun
  • 3-D Rose
  • Penguin Pen/Pencil Holder
  • 3-D Teddy Bear
  • Triangular Prism Box
  • Sitting Dog
  • Bulldog
  • Food Bowl
  • Dog Bone

After dinner, I joined a large group of convention attendees and walked to the main square that is located in the downtown area of Kecskemet, a city that is 650 years old.

We folded kusadamas, inserted lamps inside them, and then hung the paper balls on the trees and posts in the square. The glowing decorations lit up the night. It was a beautiful sight!
 
 
Sunday, August 12th Origami Convention Day 4
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Autograph please!
Zsuzanna, great interpreter

Everybody, "Smile!"
Closing ceremony
Mr Jozef Zsebe
Bear
Raffle winner!

The day began at 9:00 AM.

Eleven workshops were scheduled. I taught my models the Walking Crab and the Walking Duck.

I was able to attend a class taught by Zsuzsanna Kricskovics. She told a story as she taught us how to fold a duck princess. I enjoyed the class very much!

At 12:30 PM there was a closing ceremony attended by all the participants.

I was so busy teaching my models to the folders at the convention, that there was almost no time for me to learn some new origami models.

Luckily, Jozsef Zsebe, a Hungarian origami artist, was able to teach my friend Harumi and I how to fold his original Bear.
I was very happy!
 
 
Monday, August 13th  
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Over the Danube

On Monday evening, my friend Harumi and I watched the reflection of many twinkling lights on the Danube. It was a beautiful sight.

During the weekend, I met many friendly people from such countries like Hungary, the Netherlands, and Poland.
I would like to thank the Hungarian Origami Society for inviting me to such a wonderful convention. I had so much fun!！
 
 
■Origami Gallery >>
 
 
© Shoko Aoyagi