Antony Cross

Emerging from research into The Peterloo Massacre of 1819, Antony became fascinated by the large numbers of people that attended the event. Further research revealed how little known such an important event in our history is. Acknowledging the difficulty of making visceral connections to historical events pushed him to think about contemporary events that attract self-organised crowds in huge numbers. He explored the early 90’s outdoor raves and as a printmaker, recognized how important the print medium was to both, through the medium of posters, flyers, publications and traditional intaglio prints. Paradoxically, the crowd at Peterloo wanted to be included in the political process whereas, it can be argued, ravers were looking to escape from it. However, from Peterloo and the 90’s rave scene, legislation emerged that prevented people meeting outside in numbers greater than 50 and 100 respectively. Both parties though are connected through their hope of a paradigm shift away from the status quo. In his work, he explores the optimism and devastation of the crowd at Peterloo that had come together for a common purpose, through the imagery of a contemporary social group. By doing so, he offers the viewer a fresh perspective on the people who attended Peterloo, not as figures from a historical print or embedded in words from the pages of a book, but as people we are all familiar with.