Origami Boy: Wapangsang Aier bringing art to shape

Wapangsang Aier, the 14-year old self-taught Origami artist is a class 9 student of Yajen Aier Government High School, Mopungchuket village, Mokokchung. (Photo Courtesy: facebook.com/Mopungchuket)

Morung Express News
Mopungchuket | November 8

Meet Wapangsang Aier, a 14-year old self-taught Origami artist from Mopungchuket village, Mokokchung, Nagaland. Unsought for and unknown to the world, he has been creating Origami designs since his early childhood. It was only recently in October 2019 that his talent was exposed when his Origami creations were displayed at a local talent extravaganza called “Teens Nite” organized annually by the Youth Ministry of Mopungchuket Baptist Church.

A class 9 student of Yajen Aier Government High School, Mopungchuket, Wapangsang discovered his ability when he was just 6 years old after drawing inspiration from a popular television series called “Mister Maker” where they showed the viewers how to make simple Origami designs. As he grew older, instructional videos on YouTube and other sources further inspired him to develop and hone his skills. 

Like most boys his age, Wapangsang loves watching the science fiction action movie series Transformers, animated movies and robot flicks, where he gets his muse from to create his Origami designs. His Origami designs are largely influenced by them but he also does pencil sketching and create his own unique designs from those sketches. Apart from his Origami skills, the soft-spoken Wapangsang is also proficient with pencil sketching.  

To Wapangsang, Origami is a fun and creative way to express oneself. He can make complicated Origami designs like the Transformers which takes him hours, or even days, as well as simpler ones like flowers and toys which take him just minutes. Construction paper is his preferred material for making Origami designs.

After his Origami creations were first shared on the Facebook page of his village, many admirers have shown interest in his works, some even offering proposals to purchase them. “It is in the right space of pop culture right now and easy to get attention that can be monetized and be a viable income source,” one of his fans suggested.

Wapangsang stays with his grandparents in the village. A studious student, he makes his Origami designs during free hours most of which he gives away to his friends. His aim in life is to pursue a professional career in the animation industry but is right now concentrating on his studies as his final exams are approaching.