Two Steps forward, Three Steps Back
When gazing at the stars, most people think they are looking at things to come. In reality, they are literally looking into the past! At no other time is this more evident than during the month of December. While some celebrate the successes and awards earned throughout the year, others lament the good old days and hope for a more prosperous year ahead.
So, in preparing for the last issue of 2016, we at Arabad decided to do the exact opposite by looking back in moving forward!
As a result, the general overriding theme chosen to end the year is based on a somewhat perplexing topic, namely nostalgia, which has proven to be quite challenging. To our surprise, different people interpret the notion quite differently. What’s interesting though is how these interpretations are manifested and communicated into works that are ‘attention-grabbing’ to say the least.
Drawing inspiration from ‘the good old days’ isn’t a novel approach. However, what is striking is the noticeable surge that for reasons we tried to examine, has not only been trending, but also making big waves throughout the country.
Some throughout the fashion industry copy-paste visuals of famous singers and other noteworthy local and regional personalities onto wearable items. Others have taken more innovative approaches by combining the ‘old’ with the ‘new’ and painted these images to communicate a point of view of sorts.
Still others built on the notion of love and loss to revive a rich history laden with cherished memories that marks an unforgettable era as a response to a consumerist society that no longer appreciates quality nor longevity for that matter.
Advertising agencies have also been employing similar tactics to lure wouldbe consumers by playing around with certain types of colours and outdated formats reminiscent of, you guessed it, ‘the good old days!’
To bring the entire matter full circle, we took the time and dug deep into grandma’s treasure trove of collectibles to find a wealth of ads dating back to a time anyone reading this was not yet born! All in all, the issue is as rich as it is, eclectically delectable! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.