Some papercraft projects are triumphs in design, allowing you to fashion gorgeous-looking creations with just a few folds of paper.  Others, like Wataru Itou’s massive and meticulously-detailed “Umi no Ue no Oshiro” (Castle On the Ocean), are just pure labors of love.
How else can you describe paper art that’s as intricate? Â Built by hand, the artist slaved over the miniature castle for over four years before deeming it ready for the world to see. Â Can you imagine cutting and folding paper for that length of time? Â Imagine the paper cuts – ouch!
Apart from the actual castle, the installation has also been fitted with a bevy of lights, all coordinated to lend an even more dramatic element to the the piece. Â A moving electronic train has also been added that travels along the paper ramp that courses throughout the castle. Â Sadly, the creation features no man-made lake surrounding it that’s filled with sharks and alligators (I know, they don’t go exactly go together) – which is how I always thought palatial estates fit for a king should be.
The paper castle is currently on exhibit at the Uminohotaru, a service area in the middle of the ocean (thus, the “Castle On the Ocean” moniker) right between Tokyo City and Chiba Prefecture. Â A video of the artist during the creation of the work is also said to be on display at the exhibit. Â According to those who’ve seen it, Itou’s studio (where he cut, folded and assembled the entire work) was barely bigger than the installation.
[Tokyo Bling via Boing Boing]