I am emotionally attached to this little theatre, one of the first paper objects I designed and self-produced. It is a kit for traveling collage workshops, with both a practical and aesthetic-scenographic function. If closed, it becomes a kind of easy-to-carry folder, which contains the materials for the workshop. If opened, it becomes a theater. The side horizontally positioned becomes a “stage” where some paper are placed and made available for the activity. The vertical sides show some examples of works made with the same kind of paper. It would be optimal to have a certain number of theaters dedicated to different types of paper: for example only white paper (or black and white), colored, from smooth to rough, metallic, semi-transparent, textured, etc.
The following drawing represents the construction scheme. The dashed lines correspond to foldings (consider the thickness of the cardboard while folding). The circles indicate the points that must be pierced and joined (using automatic push-buttons or “split pins”).
The photos below show how to close the theater so that it becomes a sort of folder. After having completely opened the structure, the “stage” (the horizontal side) is turned upwards; the side parts are first folded in half and then towards the center.
The theaters offer a panorama of the specific expressive characteristics of different types of paper with a great visual impact, stimulating curiosity and experimentation. No need for much explanation … The curtain opens and the scissors dance can begin!
