{"id":472,"date":"2022-11-27T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-27T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/?p=472"},"modified":"2025-09-13T15:11:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T07:11:21","slug":"iwona2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2022\/11\/27\/iwona2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Paper Games and Exper\u00adi\u00admen\u00adtal Plays of the Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201c\uc774\ub807\uac8c\uc811\uc5b4\uc694\u201d Chi\u00adnese ver\u00adsion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sup\u00adpose you were asked to do this exper\u00adi\u00adment: You hap\u00adpened to know (and only you know) that some\u00adone had com\u00admit\u00adted a seri\u00adous crime. Under the premise of ensur\u00ading that you are not in dan\u00adger of being killed, do you feel that you have a respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty to report the crime to the rel\u00ade\u00advant author\u00adi\u00adties? The options are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A. Have a strong sense of respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

B. have weak\u00ader respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

C. No respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014\u2014What choice will you make?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

If you chose A, con\u00adgrat\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions! You appear to have a strong sense of social respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty. In an inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal moral\u00adi\u00adty test, the vast major\u00adi\u00adty of peo\u00adple also chose this option. How\u00adev\u00ader, if the ques\u00adtion were slight\u00adly modified\u2014if that \u201csome\u00adone\u201d hap\u00adpened to be a rel\u00ada\u00adtive or your clos\u00adest friend\u2014would you still choose A with\u00adout hes\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtion? In fact, in the legal sys\u00adtems of many coun\u00adtries around the world, \u201ckilling rel\u00ada\u00adtives for the sake of jus\u00adtice\u201d is dis\u00adcour\u00adaged, and \u201cpro\u00adtect\u00ading rel\u00ada\u00adtives\u201d is exempt\u00aded because such sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtions are indeed too com\u00adpli\u00adcat\u00aded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let\u2019s mod\u00adi\u00adfy the title:If \u201csome\u00adone\u201d is a rel\u00ada\u00adtive or close friend of yours who isn\u2019t sus\u00adpect\u00aded of any crime but is a pos\u00adi\u00adtive COVID-19 case or close con\u00adtact who does\u00adn\u2019t want to tell oth\u00aders about it, do you feel a respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty to report it? Or would you help them keep it secret?<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iwona Chmielews\u00adka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the \u201cmoral dilem\u00admas\u201d we encounter in life are often more like this last type of sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion. As Pol\u00adish pic\u00adture book artist Iwona Chmielews\u00adka writes in her new book, \u201cFold It Like This,\u201d \u201cMost peo\u00adple want to be good peo\u00adple.\u201d If the ques\u00adtion is sim\u00adpli\u00adfied to \u201cAre you a good per\u00adson?\u201d most peo\u00adple would undoubt\u00aded\u00adly choose \u201cyes,\u201d and we often har\u00adbor a cer\u00adtain sense of moral supe\u00adri\u00ador\u00adi\u00adty. But when faced with a prac\u00adti\u00adcal choice that involves your own per\u00adson\u00adal inter\u00adests, espe\u00adcial\u00adly when help\u00ading oth\u00aders requires some degree of sac\u00adri\u00adfice, or when car\u00ading about oth\u00aders\u2019 suf\u00adfer\u00ading affects your emo\u00adtions and dis\u00adrupts your per\u00adcep\u00adtion of a \u201cpeace\u00adful life,\u201d will you choose to close the door to help or sim\u00adply turn away? Iwon\u00ada\u2019s most unbear\u00adable image in the book is a post-war ruin. Using origa\u00admi, the artist cre\u00adates a door and leaves the read\u00ader with the choice: open it or close it? \u201cJust one fold reveals your stance. This book offers you an exer\u00adcise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This image eas\u00adi\u00adly evokes the Rus\u00adso-Ukrain\u00adian war in Europe in 2022, which saw a mas\u00adsive influx of Ukrain\u00adian refugees into oth\u00ader coun\u00adtries, most of whom end\u00aded up in Poland. This posed a dilem\u00adma for the Poles: should they accept these refugees and pro\u00advide them with assis\u00adtance? How\u00adev\u00ader, \u201cFold It Like This\u201d was orig\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adly pub\u00adlished in late 2021! It was\u00adn\u2019t that Ivana pre\u00addict\u00aded this dire cri\u00adsis; in real\u00adi\u00adty, local\u00adized wars have nev\u00ader ceased on this plan\u00adet, such as the intense Syr\u00adi\u00adan civ\u00adil war a few years ago. The refugee influx, direct\u00adly or indi\u00adrect\u00adly caused by these wars, has had a sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant impact on EU coun\u00adtries, includ\u00ading Poland. Poland has been quite reluc\u00adtant to accept refugees from the Mid\u00addle East, accept\u00ading only over 5,000 refugees in the first nine months of 2021. Fur\u00adther\u00admore, a rag\u00ading migrant cri\u00adsis has occurred on the Pol\u00adish-Belaru\u00adsian bor\u00adder. Some of the ques\u00adtions in the book are prob\u00ada\u00adbly Ivana\u2019s own feel\u00adings: \u201cHow should we treat dif\u00adfer\u00adent lives? This needs you to decide. Let them kneel down? Or, ask them to rest? How do you want to treat them?\u201d This sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion changed dra\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly in 2022. Accord\u00ading to data released by the Euro\u00adpean Union in June 2022, since March, Poland has grant\u00aded tem\u00adpo\u00adrary pro\u00adtec\u00adtion sta\u00adtus to 675,085 Ukraini\u00adans, two-thirds of whom are women and chil\u00addren, and more than half of them are chil\u00addren under the age of 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obvi\u00adous\u00adly, such a top\u00adic is quite weighty even for adults, so would\u00adn\u2019t it be too com\u00adplex for chil\u00addren? If only through words, I can\u2019t imag\u00adine how to explain such com\u00adplex moral dilem\u00admas to chil\u00addren. Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapi\u00adens: A Brief His\u00adto\u00adry of Humankind, once said in a speech, \u201cMoral\u00adi\u00adty is about a deep under\u00adstand\u00ading of human suf\u00adfer\u00ading.\u201d While this is true, it\u2019s also an area where sim\u00adple con\u00adsen\u00adsus is elu\u00adsive. How can we explain this to chil\u00addren? For\u00adtu\u00adnate\u00adly, Ivana is an artist who excels at pro\u00advok\u00ading read\u00aders through the visu\u00adal design of books. Read\u00aders have wit\u00adnessed her extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnary skill in \u201cThe Eye,\u201d which won the Bologna Chil\u00addren\u2019s Book Award. She sim\u00adply insert\u00aded a pair of holes in the pages, but each page offers a sur\u00adprise, broad\u00aden\u00ading their hori\u00adzons and elic\u00adit\u00ading a pow\u00ader\u00adful expe\u00adri\u00adence, extend\u00ading from the phys\u00adi\u00adcal eye to the spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal eye. The book is writ\u00adten in sim\u00adple, poet\u00adic prose; Ivana does\u00adn\u2019t preach, but read\u00aders\u2019 minds will be stirred as they expe\u00adri\u00adence it first\u00adhand, and they will gain unique insights based on their life expe\u00adri\u00adences and read\u00ading expe\u00adri\u00adence. Both chil\u00addren and adults will gain a wealth of insights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFold It Like This\u201d is anoth\u00ader visu\u00adal paper game. If you were to ask me, \u201cHow should I teach this book to chil\u00addren?\u201d, my advice is to \u201cplay\u201d with them. A Kore\u00adan read\u00ader sug\u00adgest\u00aded buy\u00ading two copies: one for col\u00adlec\u00adtion and the oth\u00ader to cut out the pages and try fold\u00ading them indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly. This will give you a stronger sense of the expe\u00adri\u00adence! Of course, you can also fold just one copy. The artist pro\u00advides red dot\u00adted lines for ref\u00ader\u00adence. Fold along them and see how it turns out. Some parts, like the page with the prince and Cin\u00adderel\u00adla, require two more folds to cre\u00adate the stair\u00adcase effect, and the piano cov\u00ader also requires two folds to achieve a real\u00adis\u00adtic effect. Over\u00adall, how\u00adev\u00ader, the origa\u00admi in this book is very sim\u00adple and easy to imi\u00adtate. For exam\u00adple, the paper hat and sail scenes can be eas\u00adi\u00adly repli\u00adcat\u00aded with your child by draw\u00ading on their own blank paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pre\u00adserv\u00ading the book intact (with\u00adout cut\u00adting the pages) is also cru\u00adcial. Although this book focus\u00ades on pos\u00ading var\u00adi\u00adous exper\u00adi\u00admen\u00adtal ques\u00adtions, Ivana skill\u00adful\u00adly weaves the images togeth\u00ader into a rough\u00adly coher\u00adent sto\u00adry. The jack\u00adet depicts a girl hold\u00ading a brown note\u00adbook. Pulling back the front flap reveals the girl\u2019s right hand caress\u00ading the back of a boy wear\u00ading an origa\u00admi hat. They look very much like a broth\u00ader and sis\u00adter. These sib\u00adlings appear inter\u00adspersed through\u00adout the book, and the enve\u00adlope and dahlia in the girl\u2019s hand con\u00adtin\u00adue to the end. The envelope\u2019s let\u00adter unfolds, and the dahlia, half-opened, blos\u00adsoms ful\u00adly, seem\u00ading\u00adly sym\u00adbol\u00adiz\u00ading the girl\u2019s growth and matu\u00adri\u00adty. The mean\u00ading of this flower varies across cul\u00adtures. In West\u00adern cul\u00adture, one mean\u00ading of the dahlia is \u201cfind\u00ading inner strength,\u201d mak\u00ading it a per\u00adfect gift for those going through dif\u00adfi\u00adcult times and in need of sup\u00adport. The flower itself is unique and vibrant, sym\u00adbol\u00adiz\u00ading a wom\u00adan\u2019s ele\u00adgance, kind\u00adness, beau\u00adty, and dig\u00adni\u00adty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The book\u2019s sto\u00adry is seam\u00adless\u00adly guid\u00aded by this sib\u00adling duo, draw\u00ading the read\u00ader in. The boy in the origa\u00admi hat on the title page gazes up at a man fly\u00ading in the sky clutch\u00ading a red bal\u00adloon, lend\u00ading the book a fairy\u00adtale feel. The sis\u00adter is a girl going through puber\u00adty, while the broth\u00ader retains the aura of a child full of fan\u00adta\u00adsy, mak\u00ading the book appeal\u00ading to a wider age range of chil\u00addren. The man hang\u00ading from the bal\u00adloon offers a sub\u00adtle sus\u00adpense: where does he come from, where is he going, and why does he take to the sky? Read\u00aders must turn to the end to find out. The book, then, resem\u00adbles a small play on paper, with char\u00adac\u00adters that engage the audi\u00adence, and even a degree of con\u00adtrol over its tra\u00adjec\u00adto\u00adry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s tru\u00adly strik\u00ading about this exper\u00adi\u00admen\u00adtal paper play is that it address\u00ades a series of com\u00adplex moral issues in a way that chil\u00addren can par\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adpate. Rather than pos\u00ading a ques\u00adtion ini\u00adtial\u00adly, the artist first lets read\u00aders prac\u00adtice fold\u00ading a cor\u00adner of a book, cre\u00adat\u00ading a play\u00adful, dynam\u00adic effect. The artist also uses fairy tales to immerse read\u00aders in a spe\u00adcif\u00adic sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion. Then, start\u00ading with sim\u00adple tasks, the work grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly expands to increas\u00ading\u00adly dif\u00adfi\u00adcult issues: chil\u00addren\u2019s rights, the pro\u00adtec\u00adtion of the vul\u00adner\u00ada\u00adble, ani\u00admal wel\u00adfare, sex\u00adu\u00adal harass\u00adment; and mov\u00ading from seem\u00ading\u00adly harm\u00adless every\u00adday pranks to war, refugee relief, wildlife pro\u00adtec\u00adtion, the rela\u00adtion\u00adship between humans and ani\u00admals, and so on. The artist does\u00adn\u2019t define these issues; instead, with\u00adin a sim\u00adpli\u00adfied and recon\u00adstruct\u00aded sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion, the read\u00ader is asked to choose their own stance. This choice is made through the use of fold\u00ading paper, sim\u00adi\u00adlar to the choice of press\u00ading a key on a com\u00adput\u00ader, but fold\u00ading paper involves a pro\u00adlonged and more tac\u00adtile process, cre\u00adat\u00ading a more direct impact and leav\u00ading a deep\u00ader impres\u00adsion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This book does\u00adn\u2019t direct\u00adly tell read\u00aders: What should you do? Which approach is more cor\u00adrect? Instead, it allows read\u00aders to expe\u00adri\u00adence their own true feel\u00adings through origa\u00admi. When guid\u00ading chil\u00addren through the read\u00ading process, I think wise adults should even tem\u00adporar\u00adi\u00adly step away and let chil\u00addren con\u00adduct such exper\u00adi\u00adments in a more pri\u00advate state. Doing good or doing evil won\u2019t cause any actu\u00adal harm, but through these pos\u00adi\u00adtive and neg\u00ada\u00adtive exper\u00adi\u00adments, chil\u00addren can face their truest feel\u00adings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In more tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal moral edu\u00adca\u00adtion, peo\u00adple tend to sim\u00adply teach chil\u00addren the so-called stan\u00addards of good and evil, expect\u00ading them to act accord\u00ading to these stan\u00addards. The \u201cgood chil\u00addren\u201d raised in this way are more like\u00adly to become those who please adults. Once they are free from con\u00adstraints, they may be more will\u00ading to reveal their sup\u00adpressed side. How\u00adev\u00ader, chil\u00addren with authen\u00adtic emo\u00adtion\u00adal expe\u00adri\u00adences are more like\u00adly to demon\u00adstrate true moral courage when they make their own choic\u00ades rather than fol\u00adlow estab\u00adlished rules. This is because their choice to do good is moti\u00advat\u00aded by inner joy and peace. I believe this is pre\u00adcise\u00adly the val\u00adue of this exper\u00adi\u00adment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to artists like Ivana Chimier\u00ads\u00adka, chil\u00addren are so lucky to have such a game book on their jour\u00adney to becom\u00ading human beings!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writ\u00adten in Bei\u00adjing on Novem\u00adber 27, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Review of Iwona Chmielewska\u2019s \u201cFold It Like This\u201d (\uc774\ub807\uac8c\uc811\uc5b4\uc694)<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,12,1],"tags":[5,10,6],"class_list":["post-472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review","category-ajia-review","category-thoughts","tag-5","tag-10","tag-6"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":531,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472\/revisions\/531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}