Unpuzzle, Unfold
Celestine Yuan
Books are objects that are often handled only as a surface. Why are we so reluctant to fold, cut, and manipulate them? My thesis aims to explore the interactive potential of print, and the ways in which it can make learning more engaging. This topic is explored through two books.
The first book, which is aimed at 10–12 year olds, is a compilation of foldable, interactive diagrams that display the way certain modern-day systems work. The three topics are the parts of a house, the delivery system, and the travel of information on the internet. The multi-page nested and folded diagrams present these different systems in a slow, hands-on, and digestible manner.
The second book, aimed towards young readers, is about the forest. It is a double-layered combination of a jigsaw puzzle and a book. Each piece of the puzzle is a booklet that expands on the image it represents. The layering of books allows for different levels of information: the lower puzzle has more pieces, and thus more books that go into finer detail about each topic.
This project’s proximity to puzzles and toys can spark curiosity in its contents. By putting the puzzle pieces together, we are encouraged to see things as working and living together. While these books offer first-level descriptions of complex systems, they can be a starting point in the quest to understanding the world around us as it is.