“Mail Art is not square, a rectangle, or a photo, or a book, or a slide.
It is a river”
– Ray Johnson, 1984
My name is Rebecca A. Jarvis and I’m currently in my last module on the Online Falmouth Illustration Masters Course.
What I’m Investigating:
Based on the historical example of The Wind in the Willows (Grahame, 1908), how can whimsy and nostalgia be used to reconnect a contemporary audience to nature and traditional skills? – What are the benefits of this reconnection?
How you can help:
Kenneth Grahame first wrote The Wind in the Willows as a series of letters to his young son when Grahame was on holiday in Cornwall. Many children’s books of this time were also first composed as letters, for example Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902).
I’d love it if you would write your memories and experiences of encountering The Wind in the Willows (whether that’s the book, audiobook, play, films etc.) as a little letter on the paper provided at the desk in the Ivybridge Watermark Library, and pop it in the special green post box also in the library. Don’t forget to ask for your Free Badger Bookmark for taking part!
Watch me write my letter here
Suggested writing prompts:
How old you were when you encountered the Wind in the Willows?
Did you like the story?
Do you have a copy of the book? Details of edition & where you got your copy from (e.g. was it a birthday gift?)
What does the story mean to you? Can you remember how it made you feel, has that changed?
I am collecting the letters as an archive reflecting the social impact of such a famous book. I intend to use them to make origami paper boats that I hope will be part of an educational/commercial exhibition that reflects my current body of work in the Atrium Gallery, The Watermark, Ivybridge in 2026.
I hope that this process brings happy memories to mind as we share in a love of books!
To keep it anonymous please only sign either your first name if you so wish, or as the character from The Wind in the Willows that you most identify with:
e.g. best wishes, Toad
If you would prefer to submit your letter via email, please head over to my website and fill in the form.
Terms and Conditions:
By writing a letter, you agree that I can use them for future development of my project. As my project grows, I may in the future choose to use this work for commercial purposes, exhibitions, printed illustrated work, authorial work, or wherever it might lead me, and I reserve the right to use this work and research in this way.
My Research so Far:
I am making a Pop-Up Carousel Book based on Kenneth Grahame’s original book.
I’ve been looking into the time period that The Wind in the Willows was written. It comes at a point in history where several cultural movements became interested in the qualities of the natural world, hand crafts & Classical Architecture. For example, The Arts & Crafts Movement, The Impressionists, & The British Landscape Movement. This fed into the wider culture in Britain, including into interiors, children’s books & toys. I see similarities between those movements and now.
With the rise of Artificial Intelligence and growing Digitalisation, many artists are returning to making things by hand. Lockdown encouraged people to seek comfort in hobbies, as they had time to slow down and process their worries through hands on baking, crafts & walking in nature.
Nostalgia and fantasy as a comforter is both positive and negative – stay there too long and you can become stuck in the past, not enjoying the moment, but staying there a short while can bring relief from the pressures of modern day.
For example, returning to a childhood favourite book…