Fifth Dimension | Cristian A. Guzman

Paper... it's incredible how many possibilities it offers. The concept behind this piece was to explore the idea of repetition. In this case, the repeated element is the five-point paper star. I recycled my own school notes to give them a new life and create this piece. It's so satisfying to see plain paper transform into something more intricate.

Process of creating a five-point paper star from a single sheet of paper. — A single five-point star begins with one sheet of paper, which is folded and then combined with others to create the final form.

The truth is that creating this piece was completely unintentional and unexpected. It all started when I began connecting the points of the stars together, and suddenly I realized that a three-dimensional shape was forming. The rest is history. Actually, this is the second time I've made this piece. I first created it years ago, when I was still in high school. Good memories.

The handwriting on each sheet of paper adds an element of mystery and intimacy, made even more intriguing by the randomness of the content. When I look at the pictures, I often find myself wondering about the content of those notes and the specific moments in life when I wrote them.

This is a relatively large sculpture compared with the others I've made. All the combined paper patterns give it a lot of volume and presence, and you can get a better sense of its scale when you see it in my hands.

The finished paper sculpture being held with both hands to show its scale. — Holding the finished sculpture to show its size and volume.

And just to spice things up a bit, I decided to insert an LED bulb inside, turning it into a lamp. The result didn't disapoint. . .

The finished paper sculpture shown normally and illuminated from within by an LED bulb in several colors. — I experimented with placing an LED bulb inside the sculpture and changing the color of the light. This was a lot of fun to make.