Biography page

Who is Dr Stephen O'Hanlon? Having been told many times at the BOS conference that 'you're nothing like I expected' or 'you're much younger than I imagined', I decided to write a small section about myself and my origami.

Dr Stephen O'Hanlon

Born 11th April 1974
Master of Arts degree in Physiological Sciences, St Hugh's College, Oxford University
MB.BChir Medical Degree from Wolfson College, Cambridge University
MRCS Royal college of Surgeons of England
I am currently a junior hospital doctor with an interest in surgery. I live in London, England.
I have been folding for many years now. Initially, the 'paperfolds' in the Rupert Bear annuals first attracted my interest. This led me to obtain a book by Robert Harbin, which taught me the basics of Origami. I carried on with simple folds until I went to university, where access to the internet allowed me to see what books were available worldwide. It also put me in contact with other folders via newsgroups and the origami mailing list. I am a member of the British Origami Society, too.

I have quite a few origami books, including most of the Dover publication books on the topic. I consider the likes of John Montroll and Robert Lang to be outstanding designers, although my favourite is probably Kunihiko Kasahara. His designs turn simple models into works of art, although he can produce challenging complex designs, too. Possibly the best works of art I have seen displayed have been designed by Eric Joisel, who seems to effortlessly bridge the gap between a 2D sheet of paper and a 3D work of art.

My favourite ten origami books (in no particular order) include the following.
  • Creative Origami - Kunihiko Kasahara
  • Origami for the Connoisseur - Kasahara and Takahara
  • Brilliant Origami - David Brill
  • Teach Yourself Origami - John Montroll
  • Origami Step-by-step - Robert Harbin
  • Origami Fantasy - Fumiaki Kawahata
  • Supercomplex Origami - Yoshino Issei
  • Origami Insects and their Kin - Robert Lang
  • Origami, From Angelfish to Zen - Peter Engel
  • Fascinating Origami - Adolfo Cerceda / Vincente Palacios

My knowledge of HTML is self taught, from trial and error, and from nicking ideas from other peoples pages. To see how a web-page shouldn't be done, click here for my first attempt! This is a MUD website, rather than origami. Enjoy!