The Pop-Up against Coronavirus Project: Child-Made Movable Books Evoking Smiles, Tears, and Hope

Abstract

Abstract:In this essay I discuss the Pop-Up against Coronavirus Project, initiated by the Fondazione Tancredi di Barolo based in Turin Italy. It is a research, conservation and educational foundation devoted to movable books, especially pop-up books. Their work with children is in conjunction with their museum of School and Children's books (Museo della Scuola e del Libro per l'Infanzia). When the outbreak of the coronavirus in Italy in late February 2020 prevented the academic conference they had organized from occurring, the foundation immediately turned their attention to working cross culturally with and for children, engaging Italian, Chinese and later Dutch artists and paper engineers to devise working models of different types of pop-ups. I give an account of the inception of the project, discuss the materials provided on their site, and examine some of the images of the homemade artifacts made by children and their families in Italy and China.