Line drawing of an urban scene with multiple buildings, including a dome-shaped structure, tall skyscrapers with yellow smoke at the top, a train, and a rooftop terrace with people dining, trees, and street-level shops.

Created for the cover of my dissertation titled ‘The Pineapple as a Utopian Symbol: A Harbinger for Colonialism in the 21st Century’, this illustration explores the presence of the pineapple in both historical and present day culture.

As a child I have a distinct memory of asking Father Christmas for a pineapple in my stocking, and when searching for a topic for my dissertation the iconography of the fruit came to mind . While not immediately obvious how or why this inanimate object held such significance in my mind, the more I researched the pineapple’s history and influence in the modern day, the more visible was a dichotomy painted with connotations of wealth, warmth and an idealisation of the exotic contrasting imperialism, power and exploitation of the lowest class – these dualities bringing rise to a myriad of further questions I explored in my writing.

Dissertation Cover

A hand-drawn sketch of an urban cityscape with tall buildings, a fountain, a garden area, and a street with cars and trees.
A black and white line drawing of a cityscape with tall buildings, a domed building, trees, and people walking in a park area.
A sketch of an urban cityscape with buildings, trees, and a rooftop garden, featuring some structures with yellow accents and a street with a van and outdoor seating, depicted in black and yellow.