Exploring Engineering Through Pop-Up Art
In today’s post, leading up to #LightUpPopUpTober 2025, Educator/Artist/and Technologist Kristin Osiecki is sharing a helpful template, links to useful pop-up resources, and an example of a Sequence Slide Switch Pop-Up Mechanism in action.
In case you missed it, Kristin and the Chibitronics team recently hosted a webinar, Exploring Engineering Through the Arts, as part of the summer line-up of educational webinars sponsored by Infosys Foundation USA.
During the event, Kristin shared her personal learning journey as she pursued interests in computer science and electrical and mechanical engineering through the arts. In addition to sharing examples of learning experiences that she designed, centering upon the arts in STEM learning experiences, she observed how it shaped her work as an educator—enticing a broader spectrum of students to explore computer science and engineering.
One of the examples that she shared, a light-up pop-up card of Moo Deng created during PopUpTober 2024, led her to design an accessible, adaptable template that can be easily personalized!
Read on to learn from Kristin Osiecki directly!
A winning combo for introducing pop-up mechanisms to your circuit experiments
The pop-up circuit I created for my recent Chibitronics webinar relies on a simple box fold, combined with a circuit inspired by the Sequence Slide Switch template.
I chose a box fold because it’s a versatile fold that allows beginners to create a lot of depth. It can easily be adapted to a variety of different designs. Similarly, when making a circuit with the Sequence Slide Switch template, you can easily change the location of each LED, both vertically and horizontally.
- Cut two vertical slots.
- Reverse the fold between the slots.
- Create your circuit using the Sequence Slide Switch template as a guide.
- Apply your artwork on top.
The animation effect created by the slide switch adds an additional layer of interactivity to the pop-up that lends itself to storytelling. Students really enjoy being able to control how the lights pop on and off.
If you’re working with a group of students, this is a winning combo for introducing pop-up mechanisms to your circuit experiments!
I’m an educator, artist, and technologist. My work, both in the classroom and beyond, focuses on the intersection of the visual arts and technology. I’ve spent the majority of my career doing educational work in a variety of contexts, from working as a visual arts teacher to developing learning resources at a robotics startup. I find that centering technological creation in the arts engages audiences that are typically marginalized in STEM education and creates opportunities for deep and authentic learning. As an artist, my work is idea-driven and straddles a variety of disciplines. I am currently experimenting with combining ceramics and traditional metalsmithing to incorporate circuits into sculptural work.
To learn more about Kristin’s work, visit www.kosiecki.com.
If you’d like to view the webinar, you may do so here.