Street Painting Team Meets... Street- Origami Artist Airborne Mark

Mark is one of the most passionate street artist in London.

If you walk the Center streets of the city is not possible not to recognize the unique murals of Airborne Mark, based in origami art, He guided us in the very colorful streets of London , so we had a taste of graffiti and the murals around.

Camden Town, Origami Horse

Mark was born in Poland, he came to London to become a street artist about 14 years ago. He've been paitning for 20 years, starting the traditional route of beeing a Graffiti artist, Vandalizing trains.He was from the first people who started painting Graffiti, so he've been growing with the culture.

Riot Van - Meeting of Styles 2k15

-What is your connection with the Origami art?

I was born and raised in a Stationery shop, which my mum has/had, from when i was little. So after school i was spending long time being around and help.It was my naturall enviroment.

I started just doing plain characters .Slowly the paper turned into very elaborate origami animals. So my origami skills has been growing with my painting skills.

Origami Butterfly as designed for Whitecross Street Party

The 95% is my own designs 4% is from origami Masters. In origami art, like some animals, you can't do better than this, somebody spend 5 years to make a perfect design , so i can’t just fold it and painting it , without credited them and ask for permission.

Airborne Mark : Arachnid study

If i do so, i never have financial gain from it. Like all the stickers, t-shirts, artwork that i sell, are all based on my own origami designs, so there are not copyright issues. Because i know origami world and i admire origami artists. Like 6 years ago i did the shark, absolutelly amazing origami model. One of the best in the world, i asked for the permission, because you know, these guys have been folding for 30 years and is a tribute to the art of origami.

@ArtUnderTheHood

- In Origami art you need to have Geometry skills?

No, it has more to do with Mathematics, of how many ways of folding a square piece of paper into a certain shape

Airborne Mark :Giraffer

When you design, you actually think about Algorithm. The perfect example is a Rubic cube. Like to get one color from the bottom to the top, are some certain moves. Origami is the same is pure Mathematics, because is only one way of folding a certain shape.

Origami Wolf basking in the sun. Photo by Bruno Scunha..

With animals,for examble, that have 4 legs , it's a sequence...what makes a horse different from a bull , from a cow, comes out at the last 10 steps, the base is the same.

Airborne Mark

-So, your painting starts always from paper before it turns mural on the wall?

It has to be on a paper, because i designing it. Maybe it took me two weeks to make it , i want to paint it as i designed it. I don't want to be guessing, because what's the point then. I want my murals to be realistic to the way i fold them.

Airborne Mark: Bristol

"Whenever you see me painting on a wall, tap me on the shoulder , you'll see, i always have my origami with me".

Airborne Mark
Pic by Max Johnson

-How graffiti and wall art goes in London when it comes to take permission from officials or private organization?

Absolutely you need permission for everything. It not easy to take permission from the official, it a lot and lot of work, maybe it takes weeks or months , it's a job itself. That's why most of the time i work with people that organize these walls for me. Like the walls in Camdten Town was organized by @the real art of street art. Whenever you see at the pictures , i always credit the person who organized the spot for me.

Airborne Mark

-What is your opinion about mural artist in London?

I'm friend or enemy with everybody, cause this is still such a small world as any industry. I've been around for 14 years so in terms of London i know everybody. When i came to London and start paint , nobody was famous, nobody was getting money for it. Over those years so much changed. Now you have famous artists and less famous artists. You have artist that get paid a lot and others that are completelly ignored, not because they are bad , they are actually amazing, but they are overlooked, underapreciated , undervalued because it's not the moment.

Airborne Mark

-What about fame?

There are superstars in London, they are brilliant of course, but in some point it becomes more like the music industry or hollywood. I've been painting for twenty years and i've seen it all. I was paint before Instagram , i was painting when it was illegal, i was painting when nobody cared. I'll be fine i am been smart to find myself in this position. If Instagram goes tomorrow , i'll be still painting.

"Origami Rascal"

-What is Origami riots?

When you think of origami you think of a plain piece of paper, painting with colors and shades it has so much energy , like i am here to disturb your understand of origami. Origami riots it's oximoro.

Airborne Mark

The reazon i burn my origami model at the end of a finished wall, is to show how not lasting beautty is. From the other hand murals last longer but most of the times they are painted over or tagged, so they go after some time ....It doesn't matter thet took you days to paint it even if is winter and cold, rain. All that struggle to do this it's gone. Someone comes and just destroy it, it is not lasting.

Airborne Mark

-Is there a protest about animals in your work?

To be honest , it's recent because i've been painting origami and folding much longer than i've been consciously choosing not to take part in the slaughter of innocent beings. Paintning animals is not the reason , it's just animals are interesting to fold ,you relate more with an origami horse than a chair. People related to animals more than objects, so that's the reason.