Intricate paper sculptures are a feast for the eyes

Created by Edinburgh-based student Thomas Wightman, these book sculptures aim to create a visual metaphor to convey the emotions of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and embodies his research by visualising an expression used by a sufferer of OCD.

"I wanted to convey this idea by making a plague of insects," says Wightman of one of the sculptures, titled 'Plagued by Doubt'. "I decided on moths because I wanted to suggest that the book has been hidden and left, and the moths have eaten away at the pages of the book. This shows that if you don't seek treatment for OCD, it can become both physically and mentally damaging.

"Typography was used to show the idea that these moths have made a nest within the book - representative of the fact that OCD is usually with a person for life. It lives within and is not noticed until the book is opened, releasing the moths and solving the problem to demonstrate that with proper help, OCD can be treated."

The series is one of the most intense examples of paper art we've ever seen. From the exquisitely cut letters to the striking shapes, each of the sculptures is a feast for the eyes.

See more work from Wightman over on his blogspot.

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