Magical Pop-up Book is a sponsored school project of “Design for the American Museum of Natural History.”
It is an immersive projection mapping installation that integrates a range of media—including a mechanical pop-up book, illustrations, animations, and sound—to introduce visitors to the Olympic Rain Forest ecosystem and its iconic species, the Douglas fir.
Each page of the book highlights a distinct canopy layer of the forest, revealing the unique micro-ecosystems that exist within. The installation is designed to support museum volunteers in engaging field trip students, serving as a dynamic educational tool that complements the permanent Hall of North American Forests exhibition.
While the hall remains a static, long-standing exhibit, this prototype aims to reanimate it through sensory storytelling—offering a fresh, imaginative layer of interpretation that bridges tactile interaction with scientific content.
Narrative ideation & visual storyboarding
Mechanical design & fabrication
Cross-disciplinary coordination
Qian Zhang _ PM, projection mapping
Cindy LI _ animation
Ziyi Chen _ illustration
2024.2 - 5
Sketched initial storyboards for layered forest scenes
Designed the pop-up book’s mechanical structure and interaction flow
Built and assembled physical components using laser cutting and foamcore
Coordinated with visual and projection teams for synchronized storytelling
Deliverable Showcase
How we start:
This project was developed under the “Design for the American Museum of Natural History” initiative, in collaboration with staff from the Exhibition, Education, and Children & Family Programs departments at AMNH.
Our concept—a paper-folded storybook enhanced by projection mapping—was selected during the initial pitch process. The client teams saw its potential as a tactile and magical storytelling experience that could help young visitors better absorb information and connect with the museum environment. While there were no predefined content requirements, we were encouraged to explore how this format could enrich existing permanent halls.
Content Background
We chose the Hall of North American Forests as our focus because it is one of AMNH’s older permanent halls—and one that many visitors remember for its iconic, large tree ring cross-section. Despite its familiarity, the hall lacks cohesive storytelling, presenting an opportunity for reinterpretation.
Challenges 💣
Ecological content is scattered across distant dioramas, making it hard to see the bigger picture.
The exhibit relies on heavy text, which can cause fatigue and reduce engagement.
Opportunity ✅
The dioramas tell related stories—offering potential for a unified, layered narrative.
A tactile, multisensory format could bring the content to life.
A guided, portable experience could help bridge spatial gaps and engage students more intuitively.
We started with story
To bring cohesion to the fragmented exhibit, we introduced a central character—the Douglas fir—and built a vertical narrative around its life in the forest. Visitors would journey from the canopy, to the understory, to the forest floor.
I led the early storyboarding process, sketching how each page would unfold a new layer. This narrative structure guided the pacing, visual rhythm, and laid the foundation for the physical design that followed.
Once the story arc was set, we began prototyping the pop-up structure.
I led the design and iteration of the folding mechanism—testing how each page could rise, layer, and align with projection. We explored various materials and hinge types to ensure smooth transitions, physical stability, and visual clarity.
testing simple folding book structure with projection mapping
Within Rhino, I determined the size and ratio of the illustration needed and sent it to our illustrator
Once all the illustration is done, I designed the base and other details
After finalizing the structure, I led the fabrication of the physical prototype.
We laser-cut components from chipboard and acrylic, and used foamcore to build lightweight layered volumes. I assembled the full model by hand, integrating the rotation base and aligning each page with projection cues.
This hands-on process helped ensure structural precision and seamless interaction on-site.
On Display in AMNH for Review
