Pop-Ups

Front versus back, inside versus outside; Coit has explored this theme repeatedly, and it is perhaps at its most tactile and playful in the Pop-Up series.

When closed, many of the elaborately folded pieces of heavy neutral-pH paper form long, tidy rectangles; others are more complex even in their collapsed forms. When the hinges are opened, the pieces emerge into the viewer’s space in unexpected shapes, not always typical of the traditional book form. Sometimes their crisp whiteness evokes headdresses for particular orders of nuns; sometimes they blossom into a riot of color and pattern; but always their playful format invites the viewer to engage, explore, and be surprised by their duality.

The pop-ups hold other surprises too. For “Marilyn,” Coit copied Marilyn Monroe’s eyes from a printed photograph of her; moving a component of the pop-up back and forth causes her eyes to move. Several of the other pieces reveal text when opened. The text for “Rose,” written about Coit’s mother, later appeared in Initially Self Referent (2003). The forms themselves inspired several other works, including “Promises IV,” a kinetic steel sculpture, and “Bridge,” an architectural concept piece.