The Art of Pop-Up
The Magical World of
Three-Dimensional Books
By Jean-Charles Trebbi
Promopress 2012, reprint 2014
ISBN 978-84-92810-65-9
Star rating: *****
The author of The Art of Pop-Up, Jean-Charles Trebbi, says
that there are only about 100 paper engineers in the world. Well, those guys
are my papercraft heroes, and M. Trebbi’s book is papercraft geek bliss.
This awesome title is a lovingly-curated pictorial history
and appreciation of the pop-up book, its masterminds and creators. That
description sells this wondrous title short, because although the main focus is
on the movable book, just about every
imaginable type of paper engineering mechanism and curiosity is featured, going way beyond the book: sliceforms, action origami, origamic architecture,
flip books, tunnel books, carousel books, mix and match, and much more. The mind
boggles! The author says that the book
is not exhaustive, but it certainly packs an amazing amount of info about
interactive papercrafting within its covers.
The book is, appropriately, bookended with two superb
paper-engineered features. Up front is a pull-out double-sided paper engineering Timeline
Fold-Out. Back-of-book there’s a Techniques
Guide featuring pop-up book mechanisms and bindings. So as not to
disappoint, both are fancy-folded. These excellent resources amount to crib
sheets for aspiring paper engineers.
The book begins with an introduction to movable books, followed
by a concise (but still lavishly-illustrated) history. There are plenty of
fascinating historical details. To whet your appetite (without providing too
many spoilers): instructional movable
books, featuring volvelles, rotating wheels which revealed info, were used by
Renaissance scholars. Pop-up books for entertainment and for children were
introduced in the 18th century. And, of course, the Industrial
Revolution (and less expensive paper) in the 19th century brought
with it a golden age of paper-engineered book innovation.
Next up is the Techniques
section, featuring a spotlight on paper engineering pioneers – those who
masterminded the concepts, then moving on to specific pop-up variations and their makers. When a
mechanism is shown, there are often accompanying diagrams for your edification and
enlightenment, a very handy feature. Example: the birds-eye view of the
carousel book.
There is a
spotlight on Paper Engineers:
designer profiles. Here are the big names: Robert Sabuda, Jennie Maizels
(creator of the amazing Pop-Up London),
and many more. Meet the makers, view
their works, see what makes them tick (or snip, as the case may be...). Great stuff.
The Beyond Pop-Up section is about “thinking
outside the book”, you might say. This part explores the frontiers of pop-up,
such as bigging up the concept for theatrical sets and home furnishings. There’s
a look-in on digital developments (this is not in the book, but currently
topical - Rob Ryan has a new interactive digital iBook).There are also related
ideas, such as incorporating smell and/or textures (me: Pat the Bunny). The sub-section
on book Restoration is commendable.
This is a topic rarely discussed in paper pop-up how-to books, yet, paper being
what is – relatively fragile and ephemeral – is of
prime importance. Valuable tips are included on how to craft archival-quality
projects, and also on how to repair and clean mechanisms.
Last of all: Models: photocopiable projects you can try. Fun,
challenging stuff, as you would expect. There’s origamic architecture, a
one-piece tunnel book, a volvelle disc, a cat-themed sliceform, and a Lotus
pop-up. All are contributed by experts in their niche areas. You will learn by doing.
This is a large-format book with quality production values.
The author, Jean-Charles Trebbi, an architect and designer
himself, says that the intent of his book “was to pay tribute and give a voice
to” a little-known profession, paper engineers,”whose craft
combines the technical expertise of cutting and folding with producing
ingenious creations.” He has achieved
his aim. This book is an inspirational mother lode. It examines the past and
imagines the (sometimes digital) future of paper engineering.
This is a book to
dip into time and again – a go-to resource and inspiration for everyone who
loves 3-D interactive papercrafting.
Note: I was provided with a review copy of this
title.
