Mapping Alney Island: Exploring a Sense of Place Through Illustration. A Poster Presentation for Illustration & Heritage: Sharing Histories to Draw Out Futures

How do illustrators engage with the concept of ‘Place’? Edward S. Casey describes ‘Place’ as the “…scene of situatedness…” and “having its own history...” (Casey, 2002: 350). My research explores how the methodology of ‘chorography’ can be employed to gain knowledge and lived experience of a location, resulting in work that communicates a sense of place.

This poster sets out a case study from an on-going investigation into how heritage is negotiated through illustration. The location for this study is Alney Island, a river island or ‘eyot’ which was formed by the River Severn as it split into two channels. It sits in the heart of the city of Gloucester and is criss-crossed by bridges, which provide a vantage point for experiencing the Severn Bore tidal surge. It is a nature reserve and was the site of historic battles, sporting events and the early stages of aviation, but to some it is part wasteland, a forgotten place or ‘edgeland’.

My fieldwork consists of individual illustration practice and creative walking workshops, from which I have collected a broad range of data. Through the ‘re-representation’ of this data, individual and co-created artwork has been produced. These activities revealed new and unexpected narratives connected to Alney Island, providing new perspectives on how it is perceived by those who engage with this place and their understanding of its heritage.

Through illustration, I am curating stories from people with lived experience and knowledge of Alney Island. I use walking as a catalyst for conversation and the co-creation of ‘illustrative’ artwork as part of a wider methodology for responding to locations. By reflecting on the autoethnographic nature of my project and my situatedness as an illustrator, my research questions my own role within the heritage-making of Alney Island and how my methodology could be applied to other site-based projects.