Folding paper to understand Alzheimer’s

Paper seems to have a life of its own.  From being just the blank canvas on which artists worked to becoming life-size sculptures, paper has undergone many transformations since its origins.  What is most extraordinary is how paper is now being used to understand science; in this case, specifically the genetic basis of Alzheimer’s.

Matt Shlian’s title is a Paper Engineer who folds paper sculptures.  But his work isn’t like that of Peter Callesen’s, whose cannily life-like sculptures are undoubtedly ethereal works of art.  For Shlian, his work is not just founded upon artistic principles and desire to create, it is also based on the curiosity and desire to utilize his skills as an artist engineer to furthering scientific knowledge.  As he writes in his artist’s statement, in the way that paper folds, so does DNA, and protein mis-folding is what results in Alzheimer’s Disease.  One misstep in the folding process leads to further a chain of folding mishaps which causes irregularities and disease.  In order to explore the causalities and possibilities of how protein could mis-fold, Shlian creates replica of protein structures made from paper– a highly scientific yet artistic work.

Upon first hearing about this man and the phenomena which he creates, I was astounded.  Here is one very great example of how art is being utilized for more than just the typically perceived reason of self-expression.  Here is one awesome counterexample to those who continually say that art is merely for art’s sake and that it is irrelevant in the larger picture.  Shlian’s paper folding that helps us understand the roots of Alzheimer’s shows us that art is as intertwined in this world as any other discipline; without art, we would not understand science.  Without the ability to manipulate designs, to create visual representations of the scientific realm, it would be hard to comprehend the microscopic in visual terms.

I wish I could fold DNA structures.  That’s cool.