Big bird

Julie Brown

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The crane is the most common figure in origami, an art that originated as much as two millennia ago, and it has become a Japanese symbol of peace. Legend says that creating a thousand paper cranes will earn the maker one wish.

But what about a single paper crane that's a thousand times bigger than usual? This installation of oversized origami figures, by Lugar Choi ’11, features a colossal crane folded (with the help of friends) from paper 18 feet square. The crane is so heavy that Choi ran fishing line from the ceiling to hold up its head, wings, and tail. He and his team spray-painted the bird with references to the sea, the sky, and Cherokee culture—the last a salute to a friend.

The crane, with its large and small companions, was displayed in Trumbull College in February. Choi says it was fun "to transform something I did as a kid into a form of an art project." He may or may not have gotten a wish.