Thousands of children have been enchanted by the creativity and ingenuity of pop-up books during an exhibition at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival.

 

The display takes people on a journey from the first pop-up books of the 19th century right up to the present day.

 

Housed in 10 large cylindrical displays in Hall 4 at the Expo Centre Sharjah the exhibition features the changing style and complexity of the art form since its inception in the 1880s.

 

“I think that visitors have the opportunity to see the evolution of the techniques and the creativity of the paper engineers in the different periods and admire the richness of subjects sealed by these kinds of books,” said Matteo Faglia, who organised the exhibition along with Massimo Missiroli.

 

The exhibition showcases 250 handpicked books by the exhibition curators that represent eight different periods of time. The books include At The Beginning (1880), From The Third Dimension To The Pop-Up (1920), The Birth of the Name “Pop-Up” (1930), The Carousel Books (1940), Global Production(1950), The Art Of Voitec Kubasta (1960), The Wally Pop-Up Era (1970), and A New Amazing Millennium (2000).

 

The titles are divided into periods and numbered in chronological order. “The first section is called ‘1880> from the beginning’, and the last one is ‘2000> A new amazing millennium,” said Faglia.

 

The exhibition highlights three key moments in the history of pop-up books. “In 1932, the American publisher Harold Lents invented and patented the name ‘pop-up’ producing the title ‘Pinocchio’, a novel written by the Italian writer Carlo Collodi,” said Faglia. 

 

“Around 1960, the amazing creativity of Vojtech Kubasta, a Czechoslovakian artist that is considered the most important paper engineer in the history of pop-ups, and the titles of Robert Sabina, the contemporary American paper engineer that made this technique become art not just for children but for everybody.”

 

The aim of the exhibition is in line with the festival’s vision to spark the creative passions of children and young people and encourage them to appreciate reading.

 

Visitors can also enjoy a host of other workshops, shows and activities that take place during the 10th edition of the festival, which runs until April 28 at Expo Centre Sharjah and is themed ‘Your Future… Just a Book Away’. 

 

Workshops are held on a variety of topics running daily throughout the course of the event.

The festival’s events span several programmes, under the main themes of Kids Activities, Cultural Programmes, Cultural Café, Kids’ Creative Café, Social Media Café and Cookery Corner. SCRF 2018 also features a series of international theatrical performances like ‘Tuta and Monkey Cheetah’, and the ‘Island of Kids’ Area’ that combine education, fun and entertainment to highlight the values of honesty to young visitors.

 

One of SCRF’s mainstays, the Sharjah Exhibition for Children’s Books Illustrations, is featuring 355 artworks by 104 illustrators from 32 countries this year.