POPVILLE

For as long as I can remember, I have been enchanted by pop-up books. It's the appeal of the third dimension of the story which pop-ups add.

I stumbled upon the pop-up book 'POPVILLE' this morning. Not only does it have beautiful pop-ups, but it appeals to my inner urban planning nerd.

(Photos and description found here)

The city as a living body that is born, develops and differentiate its buildings and functions: from the very first nucleus (an isolated church among the trees in the countryside) to the huge metropolis crowded with streets, pylons, factories and stations.

Popville is a pop-up book in which each page corresponds to a moment of the city development. Some urban and landscape elements remain constant references for the growth of the city, while others simply disappear and make place to new ones.

What lasts is the steady stream of occasions and possibilities which, in the book just like in reality, remain unpredictable till the moment of turning the page.

A funny book to be flicked through, unexpected in its simplicity: Popville is a vivid and faithful translation of the living course of a city. Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud graduated at the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg. Popville is their first book. Joy Sorman is author of novels published in France by Gallimard.

-DUNN