Crowds have taken on a whole different meaning in the past year and a half, whether viewed through a lens of nostalgic longing, extreme caution, or a mixture of both. In the latest issue of Elephant, we present a visual essay exploring the aesthetic effect of mass gatherings, spanning Pieter Bruegel the Elder through contemporary reportage. A particular favourite is this depiction of the dance floor by Grenada-born, UK-based artist Denzil Forrester, made when he was an art student in London in the early 1980s. Keen to encapsulate the energy of East London’s dub and reggae scene, Forrester would make blind on-the-spot sketches while out clubbing, before transforming them into hypnotic paintings in his studio the next day.
