2022 ORIGINAL POP-UP BOOK
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MARS
"All Mars could teach us is a hard lesson on scarcity."
— (H.G.Well.n.d.).
In May 2022, my graduate project, "Everything You Need to Know About Mars," was completed. This pop-up book is a summary of my three years of study, containing all of my imagination about future Mars travel.
In 2019, I had the chance to visit an exhibition at the Design Museum in London called "Moving to MARS," which explored the possibility of Mars colonization. There, I encountered a comprehensive and rich collection of cutting-edge Mars exploration achievements, including spacesuits, space agriculture technology, space design blueprints, conceptual architectural models, and even Mars habitat prototypes. Based on the information we have gathered so far, the world on Mars is breathtakingly beautiful and holds hope for meeting our survival needs.
At that time, I was still a student in engineering and had not been exposed to the production of pop-up books. However, I learned a great deal about future Mars colonization concepts and coincidentally witnessed the launch of China's first Mars exploration mission, the "Tianwen-1" probe, during my visit. It made me realize that "life on Mars" might truly become a reality in the not-so-distant future. Inspired by this experience, I extensively studied a wide range of literature related to Mars over the following period. I was astonished by the remarkable progress in our understanding of Mars from the 1960s to the present, far beyond what I had imagined. These accumulated achievements from several generations convinced me, and I began to believe that Mars could one day become our second home. Since then, a red planet has occupied a place in my heart.
My initial creative idea was to create a book that, when opened, would unfold into a long scroll, displaying the scenes of a future "one-day trip to Mars." This way, readers could fully experience the process of various tour activities from departing Earth to engaging in Mars exploration. The entire journey is divided into five parts: "The Flight to Mars," "The Moment of Arrival on Mars," "Staying at the Martian Hotel," "Martian Restaurants and Fashion Stores," and "Mars Spaceport." The overall visual and character design style should lean towards a charming and healing aesthetic. The scenes and plot design in the book are mostly inspired by science fiction movies, books, and themed exhibitions. The character who embarks on the journey to Mars is based on my pet cat, "Luka." Throughout the book, I use a lot of cool colors juxtaposed with the orange-red color from Mars to create visual tension.
Although the combination of illustrations and paper art creates a surprising visual effect, I still have some concerns. I worry that my book might leave people with the impression of an "advanced and high-end Mars life." In fact, although Mars is currently the most suitable planet we know for human habitation, it is still a barren and resource-scarce planet. Living there may not be as "cool" as depicted in science fiction films. On the contrary, Mars will teach humanity how to survive in harsh environments, prioritize sustainable development, and coexist harmoniously with nature. I hope that readers will first gain basic information about Mars's spatial position, climate, and geological features from my book. From there, they can further imagine the needs of future Mars travelers in various aspects of daily life. This will help them better understand why we might develop specific technologies and lifestyles in such a resource-scarce world.
I plan to spend a long time perfecting this book, striving to approach reality infinitely. If one day we truly migrate to Mars, I want to see how closely the real world aligns with my book.
