Research

Dr Matthew Gardiner is a world leading researcher on the topic of the Art and Science of Origami and Technology. Since 2010, Gardiner's genre defining work has been situated within the research laboratory of the Ars Electronica Futurelab. One of the more interesting roles of an artistic researcher in a media-lab is to constantly question and to redefine the use of media. His series of Oribotic artworks do just that, by questioning the role of the fold, Gardiner interrogates all folded media, natural, artificial and technological.



In 2019, Gardiner's doctoral thesis titled ORI* on the Aesthetics of Folding and Technology, asks How can artistic processes transcend the medium of paper, through parametric computational origami and digital fabrication of oribotic artworks using the natural language of folding?.

This led to the development of several new methods that enable the design and fabrication of complex origami geometries with kinetic functions. This work was further informed by an FWF PEEK grant to investigate the broader role of technology and folding in art, architecture and design.

The key question underpining recent works stems from the fundamental question "what is a fold" and draws inspiration from nature, philosophy, natural folding patterns, geometry, mathematics, robotics, soft-robotics and new reserach in digital fabrication. Research outputs range from traditional peer-reviewed papers and publications to artistic exhibits, self-publications, video documents and exponata.

Gardiner's published works can be found on researchgate.com, a number of key works linked from this page.

• Matthew Gardiner on Research Gate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Matthew_Gardiner3
• Fold Printing Using Digital Fabrication https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327690582_Fold_Printing_Using_Digital_Fabrication_of_Multi-Materials_for_Advanced_Origami_Prototyping
• Fold Mapping https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327690591_Fold_Mapping_Parametric_Design_of_Origami_Surfaces_with_Periodic_Tessellations?_sg=FGglQcgueTk_anaV_t7jR1LWC-M9WExyvPiGBNC86RlIDkBrVq-EmGNxqz-xmDPf9uD9-yxBzpx5cFjrPCjpNx6mtFQrk1JLD_dLmKOh.yL7
• ORI* The Art and Science of Origami and Technology Volume 1 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332282715_ORI_The_Art_and_Science_of_Origami_and_Technology_Volume_1_Works_2015-2017
• Doctoral Thesis: ORI* On the Aesthetics of Folding and Technology https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332173756_ORI_On_the_Aesthetics_of_Folding_and_Technology
• Scale, dimensionality, and materiality https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315010191_On_the_aesthetics_of_folding_and_technology_Scale_dimensionality_and_materiality
• Matthew Gardiner on Vimeo https://vimeo.com/matthewgardiner/