Words: Yesterday Once More

'Yesterday Once More' is available to read in the Journal of Illustration, in the special issue 'Illustration and Heritage: Sharing Histories', edited by Drs. Rachel Emily Taylor and Amy Goodwin.

This article is a continuation of my fascination with Svetlana Boym's concept of reflective nostalgia, and how Illustration might harness it as a productive approach to making work concerned with the past. It scrutinises the visuals I made for Lonely Tourist to show behind the live music performance they did as part of Rockaway Beach festival at Butlins, Bognor Regis.

The discussion considers some of the tools available to illustrators in this regard, which enable them to conjure wistfulness through pastness, and keep the past at arm's length. The issue of presentism is considered, and the article encourages us to consider how Illustration, heritage and nostalgia relate to each other. The article ultimately proposes that reflective nostalgia can afford us critical distance and enable us to take a responsible approach to the materials of the past.

The images included...