This week we take a look at an exploration in stop motion paper sculpture by Max Mörtl for European paper giant, Arctic Paper. “Cutting Edges” plays with the alluringly fundamental lines, shapes, and colors that are possible when paper folds, piles up, and moves in different ways. We spoke with Mörtl about the making of the piece.

“The Hamburg based design studio Juno started to work on key visuals for the new swatch books for Arctic Paper,” Mörtl told us. “They experimented a lot by layering, folding and piling various types of paper. By using a cutting machine they created a big number of distinctly shaped paper blocks, which they handed over to me.

“As director and animator my task was to bring all these papers and blocks to life. I liked the idea of letting the individual paper blocks communicate with each other by performing a kind of choreography. Divided in to acts, they tell of the feel and quality of two different papers.”

The effect is intentionally abstract, nothing is being represented by the paper, other than the concept of its inherent aesthetic value. Mörtl spoke to this as well: “The blocks were supposed to represent only the material they are made of–the paper. It was a nice challenge for me to give these paper blocks a character by animation, but still let them appear abstract.”

Also newly out from Mörtl is a collaboration with Robert Löbel which will be featured on an upcoming blog so stay tuned…

For more on the making-of “Cutting Edges” behind the scenes gallery below: