Iron and Paper: Unfolding Philadelphia's Chinatown

Event Details

This massive, jaw-dropping pop-up book is on display in the lobby of the Crane Community Building. You can participate in What Now: Work the crank to turn the pages, revealing the sights and colors of Chinatown.

Project Hours: Thursdays–Saturdays (May 28–30, June 4–6, June 11–13, June 18–20, June 25-27) from 2 - 6 p.m.; docents will be on-site to answer questions.

This project is FREE and open to the public.

For more on Fu and her stunning work with paper, visit her website.

Project Description

Curator Dave Kyu and visual artist Colette Fu aim to provide an insider's view of what makes Philadelphia’s Chinatown special. As ArtPhilly takes a moment to reflect on the 250th anniversary of Philadelphia, Colette Fu will present a new signature large scale pop-up book that demands visitors consider the cultural contributions of Philadelphia’s Chinatown and the future of Democracy. The pop-up will be a large five-spread book operated by a rotating crank. Visitors will be welcomed to visit the pop-up book, and rotate a crank that flips through the pages, providing a behind-the-scenes look into what makes our Chinatown so vibrant. The supporting table will resemble an altar with the rotating crank mechanism as a reference to a 1903 invention by Edmund Smith, derogatorily named the "Iron Chink”.