Pop-Up!

Pop uP!

A project by Charlie Cumming PDE4 2021

Initial Thoughts Initially, when given the brief, I only knew a little of the Eames’ work. In order to get inspiration for a pop up page, I decided to look through the art and design coffee table books available to me.

It struck me how diverse the Eames’ portfolio of work is, especially Ray Eames. This is a point that I could highlight later on when designing my pop-up.

The Design Book by Phaidon shows a large range of the Eames’ designs, from chairs and tradition furniture to more playful pieces like the hang-itall.

1000 Chairs by Taschen highlights the sheer quantity of designs accredited to the Eames’ over their long careers. Over 30 of the 1000 chairs are Eames’ originals, with many others baring a distinct resemblance and clearly drawing inspiration from them.

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Further Research I created a physical mood board with some of my favourite pieces of the Eames’ catalogue, collated from photocopies of books and print outs from their website.

Doing this excessive physically gave me a first feel for paper-craft. I greatly enjoyed this, and felt it gave more of a meaningful connection to the work I was doing compared to using a CAD package.

So What?

What Next?

Looked at some interesting Eames Designs

Consider basic techniques as to how to construct pop-up geometry.

Discovered there’s more Eames than initially expected

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Pop-UP exploration In order to learn pop-up techniques, I looked to both the recommended video series as well as a series of e-books from the library.

Duncan Birmingham’s online tutorials were useful to gain the basic knowledge to create pop-ups, however I found his later videos very long-winded compared to reading books on the subject.

Paper engineering was a very good reference guide, as it explained the engineering side of the artform and gave insight into the forces and dynamics required to make a successful pop-up. It also contained great sample nets that I could experiment with, alter and combine to create a final piece.

So What?

What Next?

Explored basic pop- Try creating pop up techniques ups and combining simple shapes into complex shapes.

Exploe how Eames’ designs can be made

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Initial Ideas Initially, I considered re-creating one of the Eames’ most famous designs, such as the Eames lounge chair.

However, the more I looked into and read up about the artists, the more I came to the conclusion that only highlighting one piece of their work would be a disservice to the vast body of work they have created.

I therefore decided to create a celebration of the work of Charles and Ray. This could be based upon one of their exhibition designs, whilst substituting their client’s products for their own.

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So What?

What Next?

Decided on a overall design direction

Explore how this could be realised in pop up form

Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Eames Office exhibition for IBM 1971

IBM Stand at 1964 New York World’s Fair 1971

Copernicus exhibition 1972

Herman Miller Shorroom 1950

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Qu’est ce que le design?

1969

Looking at the Eames’ exhibition design, there is a distinct style of rectangles, flat planes and using different levels and heights to their advantage. This is very conducive to being recreated in pop-up form.

The aesthetic of the punchy, high contrast black and white photos used to capture the exhibitions for the Eames’ website is also very striking, and would

be possible to re-create by limiting the colour palette of my pop-up to black and white.

I am particularly drawn to the 1964 worlds fair, with its use of funky planters and trees.

Furthermore, in both of the IBM exhibitions, the inclusion of visitors really gives a good scale to the image. I could use this to my advantage by including people or silhouettes within my pop-up.

Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Exhibition Creation Looking at the Eames’ exhibitions, the main driving form is variations of a cuboid. Therefore it is important that I can make consistent, good looking pop-up boxes.

however I wasn’t happy with it due to the change in angle when opening and closing the pop-up.

This looked odd and not as seamless as I wanted it to.

The second method I tried was copied from the book In order to drive other pop‘Paper Engineering’. This ups from these cuboids, was far more successful they also need to create as it was based upon a sharp gulleys using strong parallel fold, with a middle card. This means that my folds will need to be neat as pillar pushing up the lid of well as use thicker card. The the cuboid. This meant the dimensions of this will need shape was far more stable to be considered during the than the v fold approach as well as looked more net generation stage.

Initially, I tried two different seamless when opening and closing the pop-up. methods of making a cuboid. One involved using a pair of ‘v folds’ in order to create the outer edges of the box, with another set of v folds spanning the gulley created between the edges as a lid. This created a vague cuboidal shape,

Vectorised scan from Pop-Up Engineering Illustrator recreation, without front wall.

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Further Experimentation Adapting my cuboid into a exhibition base would require some modification.

Initially I looked at cutting holes in the walls, and then removing walls entirely.

This left the roof pop up bar in the way, so I also cut this down into a strip.

However, this strip was too flimsy to fully support the lid so I experimented with reinforcing the joint. I tried laminating the full piece with a second layer of card, however this lead to the joint becoming too stiff. I settled on only laminating the flat parts and leaving gaps at joints and folds to keep flexibility.

Experimenting with altering the centre of the pop up. These didn’t work as it altered the balance and caused it to not open up fully.

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Non-Gulley Driven Pop ups In order to create a convincing crowd I would need to create a pop up that does not start in the gulley.

In order to do this, I experimented using pull tabs to drive card ribbons that could in turn create a gulley further out into page. In order to enclose these tabs I needed to layer each page with a piece of backing card.

These worked well, with an unintended consequence being the fun curved shape the extended ribbons had. This to me seemed similar to some of the Eames’ curvy sculpture work, so I decided to keep this in and not develop a different approach to non-central gulleys.

Attached to these gulleys, I envisioned having a crowd, plant pots - like in the 1964 world’s fair as well as an information sheet.

As well as this, I wanted to limit the amount of pull tabs that was required to pop up each page.

In creating the crowd, I found it was fairly easy to get a good pop-up action, however this left the figures facing the wrong way. In order to rotate these 90°, I used small card springs in the shape of a right angle triangle. These folded flat when popped down and sprung up when released by the pull tab. This worked fairly well, however the effect wasn’t a perfect 90° each time.

However, the nature of the positions of a mass of people isn’t unifiorm, so this slight difference in angles could be ok. This will need to be prototyped further.

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So What?

What Next?

Looked at a way to create gulleys that are not in the centre of the page

Explore how to make planters and an information sheet.

Found a way to pop-up a crowd.

Prototype the full thing

Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Plant Pots and Displays Using the same method of moving the gulley I used for the crowd, I constructed a parallel folded box that could spring open when activated by the pull tabs.

This again had the same problem as the triangular actuators on the crowds with the boxes opening to diamond shapes rather than regular squares. However looking at the reference images, the planters were not square, so I think this can be overlooked.

Using a middle linkage, I could add foliage parallel to the front of the planter. This worked really well, however there was very little contrast between the planter and the foliage. I could experiment with different textures and colours in order to add some contrast to this.

In order to create a pop-up introduction, I used the same ribbon method as the crowd but used tape to hinge the introduction card on its front, giving a raising effect. This worked really well, however I think it would work best at the front of the page rather than the back.

In order to create the displays, I used a series of parallel folds powered by the gulley created by the main box. Using different sized parallel folds would allow me to change the position of these displays. I reused knowledge gained from the original box to reinforce the ‘stem’ of the displays to limit their floppyness.

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Initial Prototype Overall, I was quite pleased with the result of this prototype, however some of the proportions are a tad off.

This proto was assembled quickly, often replacing glue with tape and this shows in the construction sturdiness of the overall form. Everything is a little off from square, however this can be fixed with a little more care cutting out and waiting for glue to dry before adding more parts.

The silhouettes worked well to convey the appearance of a crowd but are large and unwieldy compared to the main stage. In my final assembly I should look at replacing these with cut-outs of real people, perhaps period correct for mid ‘60s New York.

The planters were a success, however look a tad bland. Adding texture to these could make them stand out a bit more.

The stage itself is a bit of a failure in this model. The raised area does not open well, and could be removed for the final assembly.

It is also too small. I could try printing and cutting on dual A3 rather than dual A4 to improve this. I could also experiment with removing more of the boarders to give a more open and inviting vibe.

As well as this, it still doesn’t look that much like the world’s fair. Adding a distinct feature such as the lattice covering could help this.

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Exhibition Contents Fashion Drawing 1933

Hang-it-all 1953

Wire Chair 1951

Concept House 9 1949

Walnut Stools 1960

La Chaise 1948

Lounge Chair and Ottoman 1956

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In my exhibition, I wanted to include as wide a range of work as possible.

The Eanes’ website was an invaluable tool in choosing different pieces, as well as sourcing high quality, consistent photography.

I decided to include some less known pieces, such as Ray Eames’ early fashion drawings as I felt this gave a historical and documentarial theme to the exhibition.

I also included some of my personal favourite Eames designs, such as the hang-it-all. I really like this piece as I think it embodies the fun that can comes with the nature of product design.

Dot Pattern 1947

Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Plant Pot Graphics To give my planters a bit of colour, as well to add a bit of fun to my pop up, I decided to use zoomed in parts of Eames architecture to give some colour and texture to the piece.

For the plants, I wanted to explore Ray Eames’ textiles, and decided to use the ‘Cross Patch’ pattern sliced up into grasslike strands. This worked really well and I liked the output.

Cross Patch pattern

Final planter nets

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Introduction Sheet PDE4

A PDE YEAR 4 POP UP PROJECT

To introduce my pop-up I wanted to re-create a piece of Eames’ graphic poster design. I really liked the striking aesthetic of their work on the griffith park railroad, and thought it would work well as a informative pop up piece.

I managed to match the typefaces fairly well, however there is still some work to be done on the exclamation mark point, as well as the kerning on the top typeface.

A POP UP BASED UPON 1964 NEW YORK

WORLDS FAIR

CREATED BY CHARLIE CUMMING - PDE 4 - - 2021 - ENTRY 20C

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Final Design

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Final Nets Final net for the display stands (not to scale)

Final nets for planters

Final stage net to be printed on dual A3 and joined using uhu glue (not to scale)

(not to scale)

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Final Pop-UP In the final pop-up, I integrated a woven lattice of thin strips of black card. I think that this ties the pop-up to my reference image, however the execution could have been tighter. To create this lattice, I used a sheet of clingfilm as a transfer medium and built up a weave, then moved and glued the individual strands Looking at it together with the rest of the piece, the lattice should have been tighter, however I think overall it serves its purpose.

For the crowd, I chose influential and fashionable people of the 1960s as well as the Eames’ themselves.

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Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4

Reflection Overall, I am happy with my final pop up, I would also have loved to take better especially given the fact it was created photo and video documentation with limited materials and processes. throughout this project, however I did not have access to my usual camera, If I had more time, I feel that another lenses and backgrounds so I had to prototype before final assembly would make do with a bedsheet and my phone. have been highly beneficial in order to iron out any difficulties in manufacture.

This applies especially to the lattice as well as the exhibition stands, as I thought the spacing was off on the lattice, and the stands were made out of too thin card, making them wobbly even with reinforcement.

One difficulty I had in the process of creating the pop up was the choice of material. As I knew little about papercraft coming into the project, I had no experience of how different thicknesses and types of card react to different pressures and stresses.

I feel that I learnt a lot about a medium I had no prior experience in, and I would like to expand upon my knowledge, and possibly include an aspect of this into my final year proposals.

During final year interims I saw distinct inspirations from the pop up project, especially in the ‘butterfly desk’ pitch.

This project also helped me develop my research skills, drawing from a wide range of sources including video, film, print and online.

Furthermore, due to the pandemic, I couldn’t go to a shop and get first hand experience, rather had to make an educated guess and order material online. This lead to long lead times whenever I needed new paper or a different thickness or colour.

Another problem that plagued this project for me was timekeeping. I foolishly decided to leave the bulk of the construction of my pop-up until after the RSA competition submission. This meant that I could not get more material due to long shipping times, and meant I needed to come up with more creative ways to alter the stiffness, springiness and colour of the card I was using such as laminationg and printing.

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The moment the pop-up was finished.

With Thanks bo-ok.org Lois’ A3 printer Duncan Birmingham Hugh uhu glue fumes

Pop Up! - Charlie Cumming PDE 4