Practice: Fold, Unfold.
Cecily Li
When interacting with objects in the physical world, we take advantage of skills developed over our lifetimes. The ordinariness of paper as an object produces complexity in content, material, and format. These inherent paper qualities challenge the relationship between the ephemeral and the ethereal, especially significant when a mundane object can be transformed to a state with context.
The folding of paper expands its potential; the folds make apparent its elementary tactility. The daily handling practices of folding paper surround its use: the enclosure of envelopes, the unfolding of maps for navigation, and the marking of contents with foldable tabs.
The experience of folding and unfolding paper carries messages and meanings through the interaction. Ideas of psychogeography are explored while the papers are folded—this reflects one’s response to a place in real or imagined space. The rapid passage through points of varied ambiance simulates the serendipitous alignments of the folded paper.
The practice creates these specific books: an accordion book of folded alphabets; a series of envelopes unweaving movies by Jacque Tati; a book re-presenting concepts from Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino and Theory of the Dérive by Guy Debord. Additionally, a collection of paper gadgets serve as experiments to support and sharpen themes and actions previously mentioned here. These gadgets explore how disparate elements relate to the book and the possibilities the page, spread, and sequences reveal in the context of book design.