The specificity of Watson–Crick base pairing, unique mechanical properties of DNA, and intrinsic stability of DNA double helices makes DNA an ideal material for the construction of dynamic nanodevices. Rationally designed strand displacement reactions can be used to produce dynamic reconfiguration of DNA nanostructures postassembly. Here we describe a ‘fold–release–fold’ strategy of multiple strand displacement and hybridization reactions to reconfigure a simple DNA origami structure into a complex, quasifractal pattern, demonstrating a complex transformation of DNA nanoarchitectures.