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One October morning, at the end of the road, there was a ‘white wall’ and an orange dot, which revealed itself as fog and a coat. An old friend told me of the Great Smog, when he played with a torch, to see his hand reappear…
On a 1950s smoggy day, a stray dog breaks free. Wrapped in dense fog, it runs into market sellers, ends up badly hit by exotic fruit, and finally gets seen and rescued by a child. In this ‘smog’ no-one sees the dog, the only one who notices the vulnerable stray dog is a child. The ‘smog’ becomes a metaphor for the adult’s loss. Children still possess the gift to see the ‘little’ things – a ‘sense of wonder’.
I saw it as a wonderful opportunity to make a wordless book as well as a picturebook for all ages. Every time two people share a wordless book, they can make it into a little performance in their own words, influenced by their experience and perception. Different generations can share this experience.
Heike has a background in film design and fine art, and she recently graduated with an MA in Children’s Book Illustration. Drawing in sketchbooks, the weird and wonderful facets of urban life has been a strong impulse for her work. She uses ink and watercolour and experiments with lithography and risography. Heike is passionate about dance and delving into past worlds or raiding flea markets. She lives in London with her partner, two children and their imaginary guinea pig.