Sea Salt & Paper - Pierre-Yves Gallard: Art in Board Games #77
“The idea was to immerse the players in an ocean of folded paper. To achieve this goal, we established a few guidelines: simple compositions with few secondary elements, a sheet of paper as a background, and lights and shadows to bring depth to the pictures.”
Interview with origamist Pierre-Yves Gallard
In this board game art interview, I’m speaking to Pierre-Yves Gallard, whose origami photography brings the Sea Salt & Paper artwork to life.
Sea Salt & Paper is a set-collection card game (like Rummy) that combines easy-to-learn rules, a small travel-sized box, and tons of replayability. Since its release in 2022, it’s been charming audiences worldwide thanks in large part to its beautiful use of origami in its artwork.
Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding. Its roots can be traced back to the 7th century, when paper first arrived in Japan from China. Since then, it has developed a rich history through its ceremonial and recreational use. I only have the slightest connection to origami, but there definitely was a time in my youth when I briefly fell in love with the art form.
In simple terms, an origamist's goal is to transform a flat sheet of paper into a sculpture by folding and manipulating the paper to create beautiful pieces of art. Modern origamists generally don’t cut, glue, or mark the paper, with the sculptures created through intricate design, a select choice of paper, and, of course, folding.
Pierre-Yves Gallard and Lucien Derainne created the origami art featured in Sea Salt & Paper. I reached out to Studio Bombyx to see if they could set up an interview, and thankfully, Pierre-Yves was able to join me. Enjoy our chat!
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Thanks for joining us, Pierre-Yves! Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Thanks for inviting me! I live in France, in the Jura, a medium-mountain region that is quite rural and very green, near the border with Switzerland. I teach French language and literature to junior high school students. During my free time, I practice origami. At first, it was just a hobby; with time, I got more and more serious about it until it became an important part of my life.
When not reading books or folding paper, I love being outdoors: hiking, cross-country skiing, gardening, mushroom picking, or taking care of my bees.
How long have you been an origamist?
I used to fold paper airplanes and boats when I was a child. But I really discovered origami as an art form about 10 years ago. Since then, I got more and more involved, to the point that I now feel it has become a part of my identity. Origami gives me a way to express myself, it shapes the way I look at things, and it enables me to keep growing and learning new things. Also, it has given me opportunities to meet many people and to make dear friends.
When did you first start creating your own designs?
The first model I designed was a lighthouse, which I created in 2019. I was looking for diagrams or a video tutorial, and I couldn’t find any. So I thought I would try and make my own. But, the main event in my origami journey was COVID isolation. During this period, I was folding every day, several hours a day, and that’s when I really got into origami creation.
Before that, I used to interpret models from many different creators, among which Jun Maekawa, Hideo Komatsu, Tomoko Fuse, Roman Diaz and Oriol Esteve. These origami artists have played an important part in defining my approach to folding and designing origami.
How did you become involved in Sea Salt & Paper?
Laura Rouquié, the editor in charge of the project at board game publisher Studio Bombyx, contacted me. They wanted to illustrate the cards of Sea Salt & Paper with pictures from actual origami models. The first version of the game was set in a garden, but we eventually decided that the marine universe may be even more evocative and poetic.
The idea was to immerse the players in an ocean of folded paper. To achieve this goal, we established a few guidelines: simple compositions with few secondary elements, a sheet of paper as a background, and lights and shadows to bring depth to the pictures. We also wanted to insist on the texture of the different sheets of paper: some very grainy, some with visible fibers, others with metallic reflections or marbled patterns…
What was your process for creating the origami of Sea Salt & Paper?
Lucien Derainne and I started by making a list of all the sea creatures that would make interesting origami models, and we then started designing them. It was the first time we had worked on a tight schedule and with an imposed theme, so this was an exciting challenge.
Finally, we met, folded the models together, and took the first pictures. This was probably the most difficult part, for neither of us is a professional photographer. But we felt it was important that we took the pictures ourselves, or at least that we should be present during the shooting, so that we could shape the models, choose the point of view, and arrange the lighting so as to complete the optical illusion.
Do you have a favorite piece you created for Sea Salt & Paper?
My favorite cards might be the crabs. However, the model I prefer to fold and exhibit is definitely the penguin: I think it has a good structure and a pleasant folding sequence.
What makes the art of origami so special?
There are several ways to answer this question. I’d say the kind of origami that I love involves both artistic sensibility and “engineering” skills. It starts like a puzzle game, in which one needs to figure out how to transform the sheet of paper by folding it. Nothing added, nothing taken out. All you can do is fold. The magic happens when these combinations of folds somehow breathe life into the paper. This is where the artistic sense steps in and plays an important part.
I am also very attached to the idea that origami works can be taught and reproduced. This goes against the common conception that a work of art should be unique. In the case of origami, I think that a model's reproducibility is part of its beauty. This second idea has become increasingly important to me over the past years. I realized that what brought me the most joy was being able to share my designs and see people putting effort and talent into the interpretation of my models.
Where do you find inspiration for your origami creations?
There is no rule, nor magical recipe for inspiration. I’m often inspired by the nature surrounding me: for instance, I watch birds in my garden and I want to fold them. This is how I created my robins, sparrows, and magpies. Since I got into beekeeping, I started to fold hexagonal sheets because I was touched by the beauty of the honeycombs and their repetitive structure. But sometimes inspiration comes from a book I read or a discussion with friends. I also really enjoy design challenges with other creators, as it is a very good way to stimulate creativity.
Lastly, the idea for a model sometimes comes from the act of folding in itself. I start folding without anything too specific in mind, and if I’m lucky, an idea emerges at some point.
How important is the paper used in origami?
Learning origami is as much about learning folding techniques as learning about paper. The size of the sheet, its thickness, its texture, its transparency… many criteria influence the result you’ll get. That’s why choosing the right kind of paper is a critical step when you want to interpret a model. Most of the time, you have to compromise: some papers will look great in pictures but will tend to fade or loosen with time, some will be very sturdy, or very pleasant to fold, but they will lack texture when you take a picture of your creation.
I have a large collection of sheets of paper in my study, and I experiment a lot - with paint, ink, sometimes even glue (to make double-sided sheets of paper, for instance).
What are some resources for anyone interested in becoming an origamist?
For beginners, I recommend searching on YouTube. There are lots of great origami channels with clear tutorials and fun models. I especially recommend the videos that include diagrams, such as those on Jo Nakashima’s channel. They are a great way to understand the symbols used in books.
Once you can read origami diagrams, the vast realm of origami unfolds at your feet! And since it is even more fun to fold with friends, try to reach your local origami group! There you’ll meet other people who share your passion and who will help you grow as an origamist.
The big shell is designed by Tomoko Fuse - Origami by Pierre-Yves Gallard
What are you reading, listening to, or looking at to fuel your work?
I love to listen to music as I fold. I’m a big fan of the baroque period, and lately I’ve been listening a lot to this recording of “Apri le luci e mira”, composed by Vivaldi and sung by Roberta Mameli.
Finally, where can we see more of your work?
I have a website and an Instagram account, where I share pictures of my models, news about the origami events I participate in, and sometimes diagrams or tutorials for folding some of my models. I’m also working on a book with pictures and diagrams of my models, but this project will still require some time.
Thanks to Studio Bombyx for making this interview possible and to Pierre-Yves Gallard for providing many of the images.