Silent Crowds (9 Photos)

November 13, 2026

By Vidar

Nobody Here Moves

One statue is a monument. Put dozens or hundreds of them together and you get something stranger: a crowd that never says a word. Some are clay or stone, some iron or plaster. One crowd was made of ice, on purpose.

💼 “Follow the Leaders” — By Isaac Cordal in Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪

Small cement men in suits stand in a puddle, the water up to their chins, and keep on with their meeting. Cordal made them in Berlin in 2011; online they are known as “Politicians Discussing Global Warming,” a name he supports.

💡 Street Fact: Cordal reproduces the figures with silicone molds and leaves many of them on the street, where cleaning crews and weekend thieves are their worst enemies.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsElectoral CampaignIsaac Cordal · 2011 · BerlinCement figuresFollow the LeadersIsaac Cordal1The real title is “Electoral Campaign”; the climate title came from social media.Nonprofit Quarterly2According to Nonprofit Quarterly, the figures stood in a pavement dip that fills with rain.Nonprofit Quarterly2011AprCordal photographs “electoral campaign” at Gendarmenmarkt201117 MayLaughing Squid shares the installation201426 MarPRI The World corrects the viral title20148 AprNonprofit Quarterly on the photo going viral under a new name20147 MayDaily Kos reads it as a climate change sculptureRead the full file →

More: Isaac Cordal on Street Art Utopia

🔗 Follow Isaac Cordal on Instagram

🌊 “Another Place” — By Antony Gormley on Crosby Beach, England 🇬🇧

This crowd keeps its distance: 100 cast-iron figures spread over about 3 kilometers (2 miles) of Crosby Beach, all facing the sea. Each one is cast from Gormley’s own body.

💡 Iron Fact: Each figure weighs about 650 kilograms (1,430 pounds). They came to Crosby in 2005 and were meant to move on, but in 2007 the council decided they would stay for good.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsAnother PlaceAntony Gormley · Crosby, United KingdomAntony Gormley100 cast iron figuresAbout 3 km of beach1Sefton Council says each figure weighs 650 kilos and is made from casts of Gormley's own body.Sefton Council2Gormley told the BBC the figures stand between 150 and 200 metres apart, each facing its own destiny.BBC News20053 JulThe figures on Crosby Beach in the first days20054 DecFigures on the beach in winter201814 JulA figure on Crosby Beach202529 AprOne of the figures at Crosby20251 Jul20th anniversary; Gormley speaks to the BBC202513 Dec'Men for All Seasons' photo show opens at The AtkinsonMore photos2005 A figure on Crosby Beach in winterPhoto: Andrew Dunn / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)Read the full file →

More: Sculptures at the Seaside

📷 Photo: Chris Howells / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)

🏺 Terracotta Army — Lintong, Xi’an, China 🇨🇳

Clay soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder in the trenches of Pit 1, with a clay horse at the front. They were made to guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, and farmers drilling a well near Lintong found the first pieces in 1974, Britannica says.

💡 Clay Fact: More than 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots and weapons have been dug up so far.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsTerracotta ArmyWorkshops of the Qin emperor · Lintong, Xi’anLintong, Xi’anFound digging a well7,000+ figures (official)1In March 1974 a work brigade of farmers drilling a well discovered a subterranean chamber, Britannica says.Britannica2More than 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots and weapons have been excavated from the pits, by the official count.China Daily government portal1974MarFarmers drilling a well near Lintong discover a subterranean chamber20187 DecOfficial overview counts more than 7,000 excavated figures, horses and chariots (page updated 7 Dec 2018)20248 SepGovernment marks 50 years since the 1974 find202610 SepPeople’s Daily: visitors watch restorers in the Pit No. 1 conservation labRead the full file →

More: Ancient Treasures Discovered by Accident

📷 Photo: Gary Todd / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

🗿 Ahu Tongariki — Easter Island, Chile 🇨🇱

Fifteen moai stand in one row on their stone platform. All of them were toppled long ago, and a 1960 tsunami swept the site inland; they stand again after a restoration in the 1990s carried out with the help of the Japanese crane maker Tadano.

💡 Stone Fact: The tallest of the fifteen weighs an estimated 86 tons, the heaviest moai ever moved and set up on a platform.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsAhu TongarikiRestored 1992–1996 · Rapa Nui15 moaiRapa Nui National ParkTadano crane1The 1960 tsunami swept the ahu and its toppled moai inland; they were set back up in the 1990s.Wikipedia2Its tallest moai, about 9 m and 86 tons, is described as the heaviest ever placed on an ahu.Easter Island Travel2007Conservation of the 15 moai reported · CNCR200825 AprTadano hands over a new crane for phase two · KHL202427 DecPhoto of the 15 moai in a row202521 MaySite profile: 15 moai lined up · Easter Island Travel202512 AugStudy: waves could reach the ahu by 2080 · University of Hawaiʻi202531 Aug15 moai in a row facing the ocean · El DesconciertoRead the full file →

📷 Photo: Voltamix / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

👻 Plaster Ghosts — By Jakub Hadrava in Luková, Czech Republic 🇨🇿

White hooded figures sit in the pews of St. George’s Church as if the service is about to start. Hadrava, then a sculpture student, cast them in plaster over fellow students who sat as models.

💡 Church Fact: The 14th-century church was abandoned after part of its roof fell in during a funeral in 1968.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsMá myslJakub Hadrava · LukováPlaster and fabricStudent thesis workLuková church1Deník says Hadrava installed 32 standing or seated plaster figures in the church.Deník2Fellow students posed as models while plaster-soaked fabric was laid over them.Radio Prague International201420 AugČT24 reports 32 plaster ghosts and 1,600+ visitors that year201419 DecRadio Prague visits; Hadrava explains how the figures were cast201627 JunNovinky: figures inside the church, visits by arrangement202026 JunSeznam Zprávy trip tip: 32 statues, open Saturdays202230 MayExpats.cz: 15,600 visitors in 2020, roof and windows repaired202213 JulRadio Prague: church now in Culture Ministry heritage programme20242 SepDeník: statues in place, scaffolding in the nave for reconstructionRead the full file →

📷 Photo: Juandev / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

🧊 “Minimum Monument” — By Néle Azevedo in Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪

A thousand small ice figures sat on the steps of Gendarmenmarkt in 2009, row after row. They were made to melt, and they did.

💡 Ice Fact: Azevedo has set out these melting crowds in cities from São Paulo to Tokyo and Paris; an installation usually melts within about 30 minutes.

More: 1,000 Melting Ice Sculptures in Berlin

🔗 Follow Néle Azevedo on Instagram

🐱 Lucky Cats — Gotokuji Temple, Tokyo, Japan 🇯🇵

Hundreds of white lucky cats fill the shelves, packed so tight there is no room left between them. Each was left at the temple in Tokyo’s Setagaya ward by someone whose wish came true, so the crowd only grows.

💡 Cat Fact: The story goes that a white cat beckoned Ii Naotaka, a lord of the Hikone domain, into the temple just before a thunderstorm broke. Out of gratitude he had the temple rebuilt and made it his family temple.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsLucky cats of GotokujiVisitors’ offerings · Gotokuji, Setagaya, TokyoSetagaya, TokyoSoto Zen templeManeki-neko1Visitors buy the cats at the temple and bring them back when a wish comes true.Afar2According to a Tokyu article, the hall reportedly holds about 10,000 cats.Tokyu20166 DecNew cats added daily · Atlas Obscura20187 AugAbout 10,000 figurines draw Instagram visitors · CGTN/AFP201910 JulHundreds of cats on display · Afar20213 AprCountless offered cats piled at the 奉納所 · Serai20257 JunTokyu interview (2019, re-edited 2025): about 10,000 cats in the hall202530 OctThousands of returned cats, many foreign visitors · visit reportRead the full file →

📷 Photo: Niwrat / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

👉 “The Illuminated Crowd” — By Raymond Mason in Montreal, Canada 🇨🇦

Sixty-five figures lean forward together on McGill College Avenue. The man at the front points at something the rest of us can’t see. The figures are polyurethane and layered polyester, in a light ochre that stands out against the blue facade behind them.

💡 History Fact: Before it came to Montreal, the crowd was part of Mason’s 1985 retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. It was unveiled on McGill College Avenue on June 25, 1986.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsThe Illuminated CrowdRaymond Mason · 1985; inaugurated 1986 · MontréalRaymond Mason65 figuresMcGill College1The sculptural group contains 65 figures.raymond-mason.com2It was inaugurated on McGill College Avenue on 25 June 1986.chronomontreal.uqam.ca198625 JunMontréal inauguration201723 AprSculpture photographed on McGill College AvenueRead the full file →

📷 Photo: Jeangagnon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

🙌 “The Family of Man” — By Mario Armengol in Calgary, Canada 🇨🇦

Ten thin figures, each about 21 feet (6.5 m) tall, stand in a ring among Calgary’s office towers. They were made for the British Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal.

💡 Expo Fact: After Expo a businessman bought them at auction and donated them to Calgary. When the figures arrived, nobody had any directions for putting them together, so city staff chose the ring themselves.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsThe Family of ManMario Armengol · 1967 · CalgaryExpo 6710 figuresCity of Calgary1Ten aluminium figures, each about 6.5 metres tall.Gateway Gazette2Made by Mario Armengol for the British Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal.Daily Hive20112 MarSchool board moves out; City keeps statues in place · Global News20156 SepCity conservation check finds figures stable and in good condition201810 AprProfiled as Calgary public art · Daily Hive202319 JunPhotographed on a downtown Calgary walking tour20253 MarIn its park beside the former CBE building; possible move reported · LiveWire CalgaryRead the full file →