hi. i'm Liz, the paper crane project started out as crazy yet persistent thought of mine.

after randomly buying a package of origami paper, i started folding cranes and soon enough they were taking up my small apartment. i decided to start sending the cranes out to friends and then i got the idea; i decided i would send 1000 paper cranes to people all over the globe. all i would ask in return is that participants take a picture of their crane and then send me a print of said picture.

when i presented my crazy idea to the public i hadn't thought about the time or money that would be needed. since opening the project to the public, i've found the generosity of the flickr and blogging communities to be overwhelming, in the best of ways. friends on flickr auctioned off original art which brought in over $300 in donations which i have been, and will continue to be, using to buy the origami paper, the envelopes and the postage necessary to make this project happen.

the paper crane project quickly reached its quota of 1000 participants after being featured on the flickr blog. participants from all around the world have begun to send in their crane pictures, they are all beautiful and so creative. people have sent encouragement along with their cranes by way of hand-written notes and stamps they had lying around. it is because of the participants' generosity that this project is alive and kicking. it is because of participants' encouraging words that i am able to keep on keepin' on when i feel as if i can't fold another crane as long as i live (i'm kidding, i actually really love folding the cranes... the monotony of it is incredibly soothing).

the project has been blogged in various cool places and was featured in the most recent issue of JPG magazine. there are more features in the works, all of which i'm incredibly excited about. this project has been an enriching experience, i've enjoyed every it immensely and have learned so much. i'm excited and interested to see what the future holds for the paper crane project. once the cranes have all been made and mailed, and once i have received all the crane pictures from all the participants; i will begin to plan the finale. i plan for the final piece to be an installation encapsulating the entire experience that is the paper crane project.

this website would not be possible if not for the kindness and generosity of a few people. the paper crane project's blog is powered by expressions, thank you to Lorissa and Gordon (dynamic vantage) for sponsoring the blog. a huge thank you to Matt and Jördis who have spent a lot of time designing this site, if not for them this page would not be anywhere as cool as it is. i also must thank Wes who did some serious web-magic with this site and flickr's API, without his help i would still be adding each crane entry by hand and banging my head against the wall.

thank you for coming by and checking out the paper crane project, i hope you'll stay tuned to see what's next!

some frequently asked questions...

Q: are you still excepting requests?

A: unfortunately not. the project was featured on the flickr blog... after that it didn't take very long to reach 1000 participants.


Q: am i supposed to email you the picture as an attachment or send it in the mail?

A: please send a copy of your crane picture to me in the mail, if this is a problem please feel free to email me.


Q: what is the best way to contact you if i have a question or if i've misplaced the address to send the crane picture to?

A: please email me at: thepapercraneproject@gmail.com


Q: what size print should i send you?

A: whatever size you'd like to send me, it's up to you.


Q: does the picture have to be professionally printed or can i print it on my home computer?

A: the style, size, type of print you send is completely up to you.


Q: can i send back some other art form rather than just a picture?

A: sure, i think that's cool.


Q: can i have a (insert favorite color here) crane?

A: sorry, no can do. mainly because there's no way i'll remember what color you wanted by the time i get around to your envelope.


Q: can you send me the paper and i'll make my own crane?

A: eh... no, though i appreciate the gesture, i'm intent on making each of the 1000 cranes myself.


Q: can i post pictures of (fill in the blank) in the flickr group pool?

A: please don't, i'd like the group pool to consist of only pictures of the crane(s) you received from me. unfortunately i will delete any other pictures (no matter how nice or pretty) without an explanation. the paper crane project's blog takes the photos directly from the flickr group's pool, it would become problematic if someone posted a picture of something that wasn't a crane he or she received from me.