The Bug Wars were
origami contests among members of the Origami Detectives which started when one member made a bug, a horned
beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
with outspread wings, from a single sheet of paper: this design provoked other members to design more complex origami in the shape of bugs, such as
wasps
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. T ...
and
praying mantises.
The Bug Wars motivated computational origamists to build models and algorithms to add complexity in a more systematic manner. The majority of the orgamists in the Origami Detectives did not use these novel computational tools in the creation of their own origami art. Since the Bug Wars, there have been a collection of books, instruction guides, academic papers, and origami art that have been inspired by the prolonged event. Each year, the Origami Taneidan Convention in Japan hosts conventions that feature the work of some of the world's most renowned origami artists. Along with the convention, Tanteidan Convention Books are released each year with exclusive folding instructions from different designers. An Oirgami Tanteidan Magazine is released more frequently (6 times a year) and includes diagrams for 3 to 5 models, a crease pattern challenge, and other related articles in each issue. Recent content is published both in English and Japanese.
References
{{Reflist
External links
''The Origami Lab'' by Susan Orlean for The New YorkerRobert Lang's recollection of the Bug Wars
Origami