THE ANONYMOUS CROWD

BY EMMA RICHARDS

We are anonymous

Rushing to buy that morning coffee; briskly dashing to work; hurrying home with groceries in hand. We pass each other by, without noticing each other. We are strangers, yet we are united. A web of people doing different things, at different parts of their day, in different stages of their lives. A crowd.

Printed silhouettes and detailed figures overlap each other, as we move through each other. There is a sense of anonymity and social isolation. Why do we feel lonely when we are surrounded by people? We are unknown and unacknowledged. Simply obstacles to each other; obstructions to step around.

There is impermanence to us. Layers of transparent paint give a sense of dynamism and chaotic movement. Figures are just passing through space and will soon be gone and replaced. The same random formation of people will never be in the same unified crowd again. We are temporary; constantly changing.

There can be social discomfort within us, but we are accepting. We sit next to complete strangers whilst putting on our makeup, calling friends about personal matters, and too loudly listening to music. Personal and intimate things, all hidden inside the business and mayhem.

Acts of kindness are disclosed to us. A young businessman holds the crowded elevator for the elderly man. A charismatic group of teenage girls approaches the solitary individual to ask for their picture. A patient woman holds the door open for the frantic family. Are our actions stemmed from empathy or self-interest? We sense other people’s needs. We are interconnected.

The vibrant, contrasting colours, and sweeping, overlapping shapes create an overwhelming visual impact, drawing our attention. Our curiosity gets the better of us as we get caught up in ‘People watching’, and find ourselves wondering about other individuals’ behaviour. We watch; we listen; we judge.

Do we feel protected by our own anonymity? We get caught within the mass of bodies and hide within the chaos. We are unrecognisable. We don’t know each other, but we are in the exact same place at the exact same time. We have a common identity.

We are a community.

Graphic by Author