feest – Ed van der Elsken

Around 1960, Ed van der Elsken (1925-1990) put together a photobook on the theme of « feest » (feast). Drawing from both old and new work, he produced a design that is a sequence of festive occasions: fun, celebration, dancing, music, fairs, carnivals, excitement, and euphoria, but also drunkenness and exhaustion in the wee hours. He combined the individual photographs into sparkling and rhythmical pairings, so that a genuine sense of joy emanates from the pages. At the time, for reasons unknown, the design was left on the shelf.