In this workshop, artists Maria Luisa Portuondo Vila and Aurora De Armendi Sobrino will invite participants to explore the creation of a Volvelle structure inspired by their most significant memories of trees.

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Volvelles are early forms of paper engineering and paper analog computers. They are made by overlapping pieces of paper with rotating elements to convey information. Early forms of volvelles can be traced back to the 9th century. They were designed to record and share information about astronomy, mathematics, geography, and the natural sciences in general.

Maria Luisa Portuondo and Aurora De Armendi Sobrino are in the process of working on their project Verde y Carmelita supported by NYSCA and the Hispanic Society. In their project, they are designing a series of artists books using the volvelle structure.

The workshop will be divided into two parts. The first section will consist of a creative exercise to remember and brainstorm together experiences we have had with trees such as memories, stories, sensations, and feelings. The intention for the second section is to take these reflections and incorporate them into personalized volvelle designs.