Peter Engel

Peter Engel (born 1959) is an American origami artist and theorist, science writer, graphic designer, and architect. He has written several books on Origami, including Origami from Angelfish to Zen, 10-Fold Origami: Fabulous Paperfolds You Can Make in Just 10 Steps!, and Origami Odyssey.

Education

Engel studied the history and philosophy of science as an undergraduate at Harvard University, where he began studying origami seriously under design scientist Arthur Loeb. In 1987 he graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in architecture.

Works

Folding the Universe: Origami from Angelfish to Zen (1989) is his first book on origami. It is a highly unusual origami book in that besides the usual folding instructions, a significant portion was devoted to essays on the history of the craft as well as the theory. By exploring the relationship between art and science, and between creation, invention, and discovery, Engel provides unusual insights on the craft medium which has strict inherent constraints in favouring simple, geometric patterns and yet holds enough creative possibility within it to capture an unexpected range of complex forms. His models range from a unique coiled rattlesnake to a charming dollar bill bow tie to a delicate, detailed butterfly. The book also contains an interview with the legendary Japanese origami artist Akira Yoshizawa.

Peter Engel (TV producer)

Peter Engel born April 12, 1960 is an American television producer who is best known for his teenage sitcoms which appeared on TNBC, a former Saturday morning block on NBC which featured all teenage-oriented programs for educational purposes. His most well known work was the teenage sitcom Saved by the Bell which inspired the birth of the TNBC block for his other shows such as California Dreams, Hang Time and City Guys in the 1990s.

Life and career

Engel's foray into teenage sitcoms began in 1986 when he was approached by then-NBC programming executive Brandon Tartikoff about producing shows for the 10-14 age demographic. At first, Engel was not interested and felt that Tartikoff should "find someone else". He later changed his mind after a conversation with his wife reminded him of how he had always talked about doing shows that his own children could grow up on.

For a period, he also served as the dean of the School of Communication and the Arts at Pat Robertson's Regent University. Engel had nearly a 20-year relationship with the Christian Broadcasting Network before joining the staff at Regent. After a visit in 2002, he was impressed with the new communications center, which includes two theaters, a state-of-the-art animation lab, editing suites, and TV and film studios. In 2003, Peter sensed that the Lord was telling him to take the job as the new dean.