Brighton Bard No. 9

Origins of Origami

Daily Star alternative:

Child found alive and well in pop up sun ten after missing a week.

SO UNSEASONAL! Just couldn’t write about mince pies yet, so last post about Summer, 2 days into British Winter time.

Exterior: Day: Brighton beach, 6th Century: Late Summer.

Two Buddhist Monks, Sheila and Brian, (later reincarnated as Piranhas, where Brian sadly gets eaten by Sheila before their first date - see B.B. post 2) are choosing a place to have a picnic on the deserted, sandy Brighton beach.

Sheila

Love the new picnic rug, Brian.

How handy - it’s folded and

zipped up into itself to form a bag with shoulder straps.

Brian

Wait till you see what else I’ve bought Sheila.

Brian reveals a circular bag also zipped around the outside.

Brian cont.

This is not just a circle but…

Brian unzips the circle and stands back.

Brian cont.

…a sun tent that pops up by itself!

Sheila

That is f**king amazing Brian.

You are truly enlightened.

Shame about our oaths of celibacy.

Brian is now busy getting food out – teeny, tiny sausage rolls, teeny, tiny scotch eggs, teeny, tiny pork pies – standard teeny, tiny picnic food from the 6th century.

They eat in the new pop up tent and on the new picnic rug. It is a perfect silent day with just a little chanting. Lovely. But then it is time to go.

Brian begins to try and refold the new picnic rug into itself to re-form the handy bag whilst Sheila tackles the easy pop-up / fold-up tent. They work in silence as normal – for a while.

Brian

F**K!!!!

Brian is losing his enlightenment at not being able to fold up the rug into it’s handy bag and to add to his frustration suddenly hears.

Sheila

Help! Brian, help!

He looks around, but Sheila isn’t there. How is that possible?

Brian

Sheila! Sheila?

Several feet away lies the pop up tent, sort of folded up into it’s circular bag but definitely a lot lumpier, and the zip is only done up half way, with the rest of the tent spilling untidily out.

Brian

Where are you?!

Sheila

I’ve folded myself up into the tent!

Unzip this f**king thing and we’ll stuff it into a bag for life.

Brian dutifully rushes over to do as she says and Sheila 're-births' herself - something she is used to doing being a Buddhist monk.

Sheila

Thanks Brian.

And as she scrabbles out, glances over to where Brian has been refolding the picnic rug.

Sheila

Oh Brian! (pause)

It’s beautiful!

She indicates to the picnic rug, definitely not resembling it’s original handy bag with straps.

Sheila

You’ve made a crane!

AND ORIGAMI IS BORN!!

‘Ori’ meaning ‘To Fold’ and ‘kami’ (pronounced gami) meaning ‘Picnic Rug or Pop-up tent’ - although some say it means paper. This art form was bought to Japan (via Brighton) by Buddhist monks in the 6th century from China, where they had been re-folding picnic rugs and pop up tents since the first century.

It is the official end of Summer.