Popup Books Meet Animation. Magic Ensues.

It should come as no surprise to anyone who regularly reads this blog that I love popup books. While researching them recently, I stumbled onto a new genre, animated popup books. I've selected four videos for you. Prepare yourself for magic.

In this enchanting video, produced as a trailer for a  popup book, Il étais une fois [Once upon a time] by Benjamin Lacombe, a white rabbit guides us through many of our favorite childhood stories. I checked Amazon.com to see if the book itself is still available. All I found were used copies with price tags from $49.99 to $643.27! So enjoy the video.




Artists Davy & Kristin McGuire had a dream of creating a full scale, life-size theatre performance that opened up like a pop-up book, a show that would mix video projections with live actors to create a totally immersive experience. They created a miniature maquette to show to producers and possible funders. The maquette, called The Icebook, has since taken on a life of its own and become a miniature touring show. Click here for a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of The Icebook.



Superstitious is an animated popup book created by David Magnier as the final piece of his masters course in Screen Design for Film and Television at Kingston University, London. It is a story about the perils of having faith in nonsensical beliefs. Ted, a lonely and isolated man, becomes obsessed with changing his luck. Click here to learn more about David Magnier and his work.



Digitally-enhanced magician Marco Tempest tells the story of Nikola Tesla, celebrating the scientist's accomplishments in electricity and thinking. Tempest also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how carefully-calibrated projection mapping brings a pop-up book to life. 



Upcoming at Offramp Gallery

Mark Steven Greenfield: Animalicious
March 3 - April 14, 2013

• Saturday, March 30: Wine Tasting with Mark Steven Greenfield & the Colorado Wine Company. Tickets $20. Click here to purchase tickets
• Sunday, April 14: Closing reception with artist's talk at 3pm

Nicholette Kominos: Wandering Boundaries
April 28 - June 2, 2013

• Sunday, April 28: Opening reception, 2-5pm
• Sunday, June 2: Closing reception, 2-5 with artist's talk at 3pm

Edith Hillinger: A Collision of Cultures
June 23 - July 28, 2013

• Sunday, June 23: Opening reception, 2-5pm
• Sunday, July 28: Cloing reception, 2-5pm with artist's talk at 3pm