Nomada Q : paper

Almost thirty years ago, a Japanese custodian sat down in front of a large sheet of A1 paper, took out a pencil and began to draw the beginnings of a diabolically complex labyrinth, each trace emerging spontaneously from his brain and spilling over the white of the paper.

When he finished it seven years later, the thousands of possibilities it offered to those who embarked on the maze were astonishing, the paths whose traces you could follow were exponentially almost infinite. Obviously, in almost no case did the destination and finalization of the chosen itinerary coincide with the desire of the aspirant whose goal was to find a way out of the Daedalus.

Like a treasure map, the parchment remained in storage for thirty years until the author's son unfolded it on a table and understood its meaning, trying to make sense of his father's work. The son scanned the drawing of the map in fragments and posted them on his Twitter account @ Kya7, challenging anyone who dared to solve it.

DISCOVERED AS A TREASURE, THE LABYRINTH QUICKLY WENT VIRAL.

The response was a success, despite the fact that the challenge was at the very least herculean, a Georgian knot of a magnitude rarely seen until that very moment. Reasons to take into consideration, which had to be taken into account by anyone who really wanted to know each and every one of the difficulties to overcome.

Truly and in spite of all the adversities and possible effects that it could cause, wanted to continue participating in its avoidance. The response was not long in coming, receiving thousands of requests from users who wanted access to a complete copy of the labyrinth that his father had bequeathed him by chance to try to solve it.

READ IT IN SPANISH: Un laberinto de 7 años de trabajo que se ha resuelto 30 años

Here you can see some details of such a laborious work in which he only used his ingenuity to do it, without tricks or second versions. In addition to some of the many results sent by the participants, it is worth mentioning that practically all of them were unsuccessful and vain attempts to solve it successfully.

Since 1986, Canadian artist Calvin Nicholls has created his hyper-realistic sculptures, using materials and tools as simple as a pencil, sheets of paper, a very fine scalpel and some glue.

By the time he has finished a piece, which measures between three feet wide by two meters long in size, each piece takes between four weeks and two years to complete. Despite this laboriousness Calvin has a collection of more than 500 pieces.

They are mainly inspired in nature, more specifically in the fauna that inhabits it, although he also has works that reproduce landscapes. This tendency for the natural has its origin in the direct contact with the natural environment.

Because he lives in a town surrounded by lush forests and landscapes with a high natural value, a relationship that has made him a privileged observer of it and all the elements that form it.

REPRESENTING THE FRAGILITY OF NATURE

After thirty years of perfecting his art form, Calvin has mastered the paper techniques used to create incredibly realistic relief pieces that recreate even the smallest details of the animals he observes daily as if they were origami objects.

READ IT IN ENGLISH: Calvin Nicholls, un zoo de papel contra el cambio climatico

The process begins at the very moment he takes a sophisticated large-format camera in his hands, refined by the delicate sheets of paper. The first step consists of capturing the image, which he then prints as a model for his design. Finally he sculpts the outline on the paper to which he gives volume to finally add the features and gestures that characterize each animal.