Born in Kyoto, Japan(1982) .
The memory when I touched a pop-up for the first time (I was 22) is very strong. Because at that moment, I got the feeling that I whom I didn’t know yet remembered something important. Then I just thought ”I want to pursue this!” with a whole body. I think pop-up is attractive enough to grab my heart with its charm which can visualize then hide as there was nothing. Anyway since then, I have learned pop-up on my own and it’s the 10th year.
A special person who I’ve been influenced by is Mr.Keith Moseley of a British paper-engineer. Once his pop-up opens, I can feel as if I was taken to the another time and space. The more learn a pop-up, the better I understand how high consideration he put in his sophisticated patterns as an engineer. That why I love and respect his works.
While the first 5years since I’d started leaning, I had been into elucidating mechanisms, hammering it into myself and finding the best way of expression. But at the same time, I also struggled to find the answer for “What and how can I do good in the world with pop-up? ” I knew it would be impertinent at that stage, but I just didn’t want to make my pop-up just a hobby. So two emotions - “Fun!!!”and “…Will I find the way what I’m seeking?”- lived in my mind that I had been in great distress for that period.
I think the actual beginning that my desk-space-days started moving was when this feeling occurred to me. “I want to see Mr.Keith. Want to show him my pop-ups and want to recognize my level!” It was a certain day in 2011, I wrote a letter to him.
Having said that, I couldn’t reach him easily. It took two years from the beginning almost as if I went to look for Santa Claus to the goal. That was long and big adventure for me actually, but it was very grateful that lots of kind people who live in not only in Japan but also in Nothern Ireland(love Glen friends!), Ireland(Leitrim friends!) and England helped me very pleasantly. I think that two years taught me what is really important in life. Thank you again.
In the day I finally met Mr.Keith face to face(It was 8th of August in 2013!), I was totally filled up with unbelievably surprisingly incredibly deep happiness. My brain was so busy to feel “I can tell him I love and respect his pop-ups!”, “I can show him my pop-ups! and hear his opinion! ”, “Finally I can recognize my level!”, “He showed me his unbelievably stunning works!” ,”We have a cup of tea talking about this two-years story! ” and so on.
Pencils from Mr.Keith. My treasure.
Following year, much surprisingly I was invited his studio and spent spacial time for about half a year. So I could learned his pop-up’s aesthete and skills for pop-up design. That period was totally different from my days in Japan because I was not alone. Moreover, most I appreciate to this is that I can observe there is no limit in pop-up expression. I think that made my view about nature, life and people extend,too.(Furthermore, I met a much entertaining family in England and they broke my concepts ofcourse in a good sense. But it's another story. )
Through that tracks, now I feel as if the fog’s finally lifted. These are my view what I do with pop-up.
Especially, I have one aim to express 4-dimensional world including “time” by using plants as a motif(pop-up art). Hope it’ll sublimate pop-ups and establish a Japanese Pop-up.
So…what would happen next? What door will pop-up open?
I just continue a trial-and-error on the desk same as always with looking forward to having a cup of tea with Mr.Keith again and talking about pop-up job & art work some day.
(Thank you for your reading my story regardless of my terrible English. I appreciate your great patience and warm imagination!)
2015.11.13 Hiromi Takeda
