Today we’re joined by Tristan. Tristan is a phenomenal
origamist, a first for Asexual Artists. He makes phenomenal shapes by folding patterns. Tristan does both representational and non-representational origami. His work is extraordinary, showing a great complexity and beautiful detail. Aside from origami, Tristan also runs the Asexual Agenda (which is a wonderful site) under the pseudonym Siggy. It’s clear he’s a passionate and dedicated artist who loves what he does. My thanks to him for taking the time to participate in this interview.
WORK
Please, tell us about
your art.
I make origami, specializing in non-representational origami. I started out with modular origami, in which
multiple sheets of paper are assembled into a larger model, typically in a symmetric
shape, and typically without glue or string.
Then I started making origami tessellations, which are folded patterns
that could in principle repeat infinitely to tile the plane.
I dabble in representational origami too, especially after I
started going to origami groups, but in my heart I’m all about the abstract and
geometric forms.
Origami is best understood in analogy to music. Just as music has composers and performers,
origami has designers and folders. I do
both: I fold models designed by other people, and I fold my own original (and
semi-original) designs. Original design
is a very complicated process that calls for a lot of experience, specialized
techniques, and trial and error.
What inspires you?
My original designs are often based on some mathematical
shape or idea. Sometimes inspiration
comes from math that is unrelated to origami, and sometimes it comes from the
mathematics of folding itself. Even when
I’m folding someone else’s design and choosing what colors to use, I’m always
thinking about the mathematical structure of the coloring.
Other inspiration comes from other people’s designs. Much of origami design is about incrementally
mutating existing designs.
What got you
interested in your field? Have you
always wanted to be an artist?
I have a story that is typical for an origamist. I did some origami as a kid, and then I
revisited it as an adult, discovering that it was a deeper and more intricate art-form
than I ever could have appreciated before.
When I was a kid, I made traditional origami, but as an adult I had a
better sense of my own aesthetics, and immediately gravitated towards modular
origami.
I have not always wanted to be an artist. I wanted to be a scientist. I was a scientist, and now I’m switching to
tech. But here I am, also doing
art. If I had an opportunity to make a
living from my art, I would strongly consider it.
Do you have any kind
of special or unique signature, symbol, or feature you include in your work
that you’d be willing to reveal?
Sometimes I write my name on my models with invisible ink.
What advice would you
give young aspiring artists?
It is common to value art that was technically challenging
to create. But in my own designs, I
value the opposite; I prefer designs that are simple enough that other people
can learn to fold them. So my advice is
to internalize the difference between technical prowess and aesthetic value. There is value in art that is not difficult
to create.
ASEXUALITY
Where on the spectrum
do you identify?
I’m gray-A, and gay. I’m
also gray-romantic, but I don’t talk about that part much.
Have you encountered
any kind of ace prejudice or ignorance in your field? If so, how do you handle it?
No. At the moment, I mostly
interact with other origamists offline, and it doesn’t come up. However, at least a few people find me
through my blog, where I write about being ace all the time. I also sometimes incorporate ace or aro colors
into designs, because why not? And none
of this has ever led to any problems.
What’s the most
common misconception about asexuality that you’ve encountered?
There aren’t many interactions in my life where people might
directly express misconceptions. But I
would guess that a lot of people are confused by my relationship with an allo
person, and are too polite to ask.
What advice would you
give to any asexual individuals out there who might be struggling with their
orientation?
When I first identified as ace, I spent a lot of time trying
to analyze my feelings and build detailed models out of that. After almost a decade, most of those details
seem to fade away in significance. It’s
fine to spend time analyzing one’s feelings, but if it’s causing you a lot of
stress, remember that figuring out every little detail is ultimately optional.
Finally, where can
people find out more about your work?
Photos of my origami can be found on my flickr page. There’s also some origami content on my blog, A Trivial Knot. Finally, some readers might recognize me as
Siggy, the admin of The Asexual
Agenda.
Thank you, Tristan, for participating in this interview and this project. It’s very much appreciated.
You have three islands. Divide them into groups of one. The straight island, the gay island, and the lesbian island. The straight island is going to reproduce and keep going strong for millions of generations to come. The gay and lesbian islands will both wipe out in not even one century. This isn’t just about religion or morals, it’s just simple common sense. Being gay is unnatural, and not just because God said so, but because you yourself wouldn’t even be born without a REAL natural man and woman. And no, there is no such thing as a lesbian bone marrow “thing” to have children. That’s a biased fact that came from a lesbian scientist who has false opinions. If it’s not a real penis or vagina, then it’s fucking false and you’re just opinionated by dumb facts. I’m done here. Read over what I said and if you still think that being gay is normal and natural, then I hope you achieve some common sense one day. Bye
Where is this gay island located.. asking for a friend
I just have SO MANY questions. Why were we all separated onto different islands? Did the government sanction this? If so, why? Why didn’t we revolt against this tyrannical government? Where are these islands? How were they chosen? Are the continents of the world abandoned? What kind of resources are on each island? Are they the same or different? Does each island have a right to form its own government or does the government that segregated us still rule? If so, what island do they rule from and how do they communicate with the other two islands? If they can communicate with the other two islands, can all three islands communicate with each other? If the straight people keep reproducing, won’t their island become overpopulated and their resources depleted? Islands only have so much space right? Do straight people stop having gay kids? Isn’t it a fact that, to date, straight people are the largest manufacturers of gay kids? If a gay kid is born on straight island, do they get sent to their appropriate island? Wouldn’t that aid in the re-population of gay and lesbian island? What about people who are attracted to more than one gender? Are they just lost at sea, floating aimlessly? Is the ocean full of listless pansexuals, floating nowhere? Or are they trapped in some sort of purgatory because they don’t fit on any one island? Are there trees on lesbian island? Is it conceivable that if there were, a large group of lesbians could build a boat? Have you ever seen lesbians around timber? If they built a boat, could they travel to gay island? How far apart are the islands? If they could travel to gay island, would they be able to collect semen, return to lesbian island, and repopulate the island? Would they be able to send some of those children to gay island? Do trans people exist in this world? If so, wouldn’t they be able to aid in repopulation? If the lesbians decided to declare war on the heterosexuals, would they be able to reach their island? On the way to heterosexual island, could the lesbians pick up the gays and scoop the floating bisexuals from the sea? If so, would they all be able to go and attack heterosexual island together, wiping out its people’s, stealing its children and taking all its resources? Does this fantasy world get you off at night? Please write back soon!
Speaking up from the pansexual archipelago: I too have these questions
Checking in from bisexual bay: The boats are nearly complete and are equipped with a special invisibility function. We attack at dawn
Fuck the questions, lemme on that boat, I’m coming with you
*random ace just floating away into the sky like a balloon*
I am so here for an asexual sky nation. We live in floating cities and master the wind currents. Newly minted ace youths are sent up to us in baskets suspended under hot air balloons. We breed giant birds to bear us through the skies, or else build ourselves wings and gliders to fly in their midst. The only land we know are the tallest mountain peaks and the world is a bright blue gem spreading out beneath us.
(And we will of course be providing air support for the impending attack on Straight Island)
OP’s nasty-ass post got turned into a goddamn sci-fi dystopian adventure and I’m so here for it.
oh my god Bisexual Buccaneers from Both-Ways Bay is both a porn tile and my new life goals
i’m an asexual homoromantic does this make me our young heroine torn between worlds
You spend part of your time on lesbian island, learning the stories, and traditions, and part of your time in the vast floating asexual cities, training with your eagle so that you can one day become one of the chosen few: the messengers, who carry letters and passengers between islands, jumping the heterosexual blockades. When you enter this select group, you’re assigned the job of collecting reports from spies pretending to heterosexual on straight island, flying in at the dead of night, risking discovery to collect vital intelligence. You fall in love with a pansexual girl who’s chosen to hide her orientation so she can aid the Resistance. At the climax of the novel, you swoop down from above on your giant eagle to rescue your lady love from a frenzied mob. As straight island burns in the background, you share a chaste kiss and cuddle while discussing the possibility of a mountain-top pansexual outpost.
IT CAME BACK AROUND AND IT GOT BETTER!
…would anyone mind if I actually wrote this?
Frankly, I would read an entire anthology of this.
mediamattersforamerica: Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, will likely vote to restrict or overturn the abortion protections of Roe if confirmed. Right-wing media like to tell everyone it’s no big deal if abortion regulation goes back to the states. That’s … Continue reading →
I WOULD PAY TEN TIMES AS MUCH FOR CHOCOLATE IF IT MEANT REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF SLAVES IN THE WORLD? HOW IS THIS ANY KIND OF PROBLEM.
good news, you can! the company’s called Tony’s Chocolonely and their entire purpose is to make slave-free chocolate and reform the chocolate industry.
Whole Foods carries it. If you don’t want to support an Amazon-owned company, World Market carries it. You can also buy it directly from the company.
It’s the best chocolate I’ve ever had and it’s 100% slave free. Tony’s Chocolonely works really hard to push for transparency within the chocolate industry and actually has and is following an action plan to eliminate slavery within cocoa production. They’re good people who make good chocolate.
If I can, I always opt to ditch my name tag in a dementia care environment. I let my friends with dementia decide what my name is: I’ve been Susan, Gwendolyn, and various peoples’ kids. I’ve been so many identities to my residents, too: a coworker, a boss, a student, a sibling, a friend from home, and more.
Don’t ask your friend with dementia if they “remember your name” — especially if that person is your parent, spouse, or other family member. It’s quite likely to embarrass them if they can’t place you, and, frankly, it doesn’t really matter what your name is. What matters is how they feel about you.
Here’s my absolute favorite story about what I call, “Timeline Confusion”:
Alicia danced down the hallway, both hands steadily on her walker. She moved her hips from side to side, singing a little song, and smiled at everyone she passed. Her son, Nick, was walking next to her.
Nick was probably one of the best caregivers I’d ever met. It wasn’t just that he visited his mother often, it was how he visited her. He was patient and kind—really, he just understood dementia care. He got it.
Alicia was what I like to call, “pleasantly confused.” She thought it was a different year than it was, liked to sing and dance, and generally enjoyed her life.
One day, I approached the pair as they walked quietly down the hall. Alicia smiled and nodded at everyone she passed, sometimes whispering a, “How do you do!”
“Hey, Alicia,” I said. “We’re having a piano player come in to sing and play music for us. Would you like to come listen?”
“Ah, yes!” she smiled back. “My husband is a great singer,” she said, motioning to her son.
Nick smiled and did not correct her. He put his hand gently on her shoulder and said to me, “We’ll be over there soon.”
I saw Nick again a few minutes later while his mom was occupied with some other residents. “Nick,” I said. “Does your mom usually think that you’re her husband?”
Nick said something that I’ll never forget.
“Sometimes I’m me, sometimes I’m my brother, sometimes I’m my dad, and sometimes I’m just a friend. But she always knows that she loves me,” he smiled.
Nick had nailed it. He understood that, because his mom thought it was 1960, she would have trouble placing him on a timeline.
He knew that his mom recognized him and he knew that she loved him. However, because of her dementia, she thought it was a different year. And, in that year, he would’ve been a teenager.
Using context clues (however mixed up the clues were) Alicia had determined that Nick was her husband: he was the right age, he sure sounded and looked like her husband, and she believed that her son was a young man.
This is the concept that I like to call timeline confusion. It’s not that your loved one doesn’t recognize you, it’s that they can’t place you on a timeline.
What matters is how they feel about you. Not your name or your exact identity.
C.A. Jacobs
C.A. Jacobs 