Newsletter No. 8

CUHK Newsletter Dr.Philip Shen and the Art of Paper Folding Paper f o l d i n g , to most peop l e , is only a children's game, but to Dr. Philip Shen, our next head of Chung Chi College, it is an art and a pastime. Whenever he can free himself from his heavy teaching and administrative duties, he plunges into its engrossing pleasure. Ac t u a l l y , Dr. Shen has long made a name for himself in paper folding. Back in 1970’ an article in the Chinese edition of the Reader's Digest introduced both him and the magic of the art. In 1 9 8 2 , British Origami published a special booklet about him and his creation. Over the years, his works have been exhibited or published in the UK, USA,Japan ,Germany,F r a n c e,I t a l y ,Sp a i n ,and Singapore. But what exactly is the joy of paper folding? How did Dr. Shen come to fall in love with it? Let us turn to Dr. Shen himself for answers. His interest was rooted in childhood and sprouted during his study abroad Like many other activities, paper folding was only one of Dr. Shen's childhood games, One day, his father bought him a set of four folding manuals, published in Shanghai, with attractive drawings and clear instructions for numerous folded models. These manuals provided him with the basic training in the art. While a student in the United States, he once worked as a camp counsellor in a summer camp for children. After a few days in the camp, he found that he had already run out of things to do with the children. How should he keep them occupied? It was then that he remembered his childhood game - paper folding - and, quite to his surprise, the children took to it instantly. Later, he taught an adult education course in paper folding at the Chicago YMCA, and this set him on the road to creativity. Folding paper is like going exploring 一 its pleasures are endless In Dr. Shen's view, paper folding is a simple and economical pastime which is both useful and enjoyable. The only material required is paper and that is available everywhere. Once you have a piece of paper, you can fold it into an interesting, useful, or beautiful shape (or ‘model" in the paper folding language). There is great joy in the actual folding process; in fact the process is far more interesting than the outcome. Dr. Shen says that, in creating, he does not usually have any preconceived model in mind. He simply takes up a piece of paper and folds, and a model eventually emerges. The experience is like going exploring without knowing the destination until one reaches it. Paper folding is also therapeutic. It can be so absorbing that it helps people concentrate and forget about their worries. A psychiatrist friend of Dr. Shen's often uses paper folding as a means of communication with his child patients. His works are simple and aesthetically beautiful, marked by a distinctive style Dr. Shen has folded for more than thirty years and has created more than a hundred models. He stresses the artistic value of paper folding and believes that all models should be aesthetically pleasing. His guiding principle is simplicity and economy, i.e. to use the minimum points, lines and surfaces to achieve the optimal effect. He favours curved surfaces, abstract and three-dimensional models. In his view, two-dimensional folding has already reached its limit; to achieve greater variation, one has to turn to three-dimensional folding, which of course is more difficult and, therefore, more challenging. Dr. Philip Shen was bom and educated in Manila, the Philippines. He went to the United States in 1953 for graduate studies in philosophy of religion and theology, and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1963. He joined the Department of Philosophy and Religion of Chung Chi College in 1962 and was chairman of the Department for many years. He was also elected dean of the Faculty of Arts from 1986 to 1989. Dr. Shen has published over eighty articles in journals and chapters in books in English and Chinese on topics in education, modem China, and in philosophy and religion. He was for many years a member of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (New York), and the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (Geneva). He has served on the Board of Consultants of The Journal of Religion (Chicago) and is the founding president of the Hong Kong Philosophy Society and founding chairman of the Board of Hong Kong Christian Institute. He is also Chairman of the Christian Study Centre on Chinese Religion and Culture. Dr. Shen has recently been appointed head of Chung Chi College for three years from 1st August 1990. 6