THE AR T S


The power of festival culture


What are festivals all about? Do they offer a profound experience or are they just one big, trashy party?


by Jules Sutherland


A


s the weather begins its alluring crossfade into autumn, I pause a moment to reflect on the past


few months. Many call it summer. For me, and many others in my circle, it’s more commonly known as ‘festival season’. Whether you’re a festival freak or


phobe, well might you wonder: what are these festivals all about anyway? And what draws people to them in droves? An escape from the daily grind? The temples of our time? Modern day ritual? A platform for activism? Or are they just one big, trashy party? Arguably, the answer is ‘all of the


above’, depending on your perspective. And it must be said that there is no one- size-fits-all festival. The spectrum of gatherings that fall under this banner is as diverse as the colourful humans who frequent them. This past summer I’ve attended a range


of different festivals; from the delightfully unpretentious Folk, Rhythm and Life, to the 130,000 good folk of Woodford Folk Festival, to the glorious electronic mayhem that is Rainbow Serpent, among others. Also, I’ve been privileged enough to ponder my fascination with festival culture from three different vantage points; that of an MC, a workshop presenter and a regular punter. And all have impressed upon me the tremendous power that is present wherever people are gathered for a common cause. This is hardly a new phenomenon,


I realise. Since time immemorial, we humans have been congregating en masse for different purposes; religion,


20 APRIL 2017


sport, war, politics, etc. We’re well aware of the power of a crowd. Yet, as I stood on the stage at Woodford, observing the sea of humans, gathered primarily for the purposes of entertainment and celebration, I got to wondering; are these superficial reasons to get together, or just as sacred and powerful as any other? Of course, every individual has their


own motivation for going to a festival – or avoiding it like the plague. I’m aware that many people’s impression of festival culture is that it’s a haven for people to take drugs and get messy. And that does happen, no question. So let’s just address that elephant a moment before we move on. Let me just say first up, that I am by no


means advocating drug use, or wanting to be flippant about the seriousness of drugs or their risks. It’s a huge subject; too big to do justice to in this article. So I will only share from my own perspective. Personally, I don’t take drugs. It’s


certainly not for any delusions of moral high ground. In my twenties I had some amazing experiences while enjoying the occasional indulgence. But as I’ve gotten older, my body’s natural discernment has increased to the point where the ratio of fun to subsequent stop-the- world-I-want-to-get-off just ain’t worth it for me. I have no issue with people who do choose to partake, as long as they respect others’ choices, and take care of themselves and each other. So substances aren’t my thing. But


that doesn’t mean missing out on any of the fun. Festivals for me are as much


about the sense of community that they foster, and about the rampant outpouring of creativity that they catalyse. Immersed in both, I’m like a pig in (glittery, cuddly) mud, and I don’t suffer from any lack of peak experiences – lucky for me, I’m a total hussy for a contact high. I’ve always been sensitive to creative


energy as a living, visceral experience. Certain pieces of music can arouse me to states unfit for a PG time-slot. If you met me after a great night at the theatre, you might swear I was off my trolley. Art is a big, fat turn-on, and I’m nuts for it. So a big part of my motivation for


going to festivals is to immerse in the palpable alchemy of an environment where the artistic juice is flowing thick and fast, via many a medium; music, dance, performance, workshops, talks, visual art, lighting, decor… not to mention the glorious array of ways in which each individual chooses to express their unique creative flair, through dress, walk, smile, costume, body and face paint, and of course, how they move. Which brings me back to the dance floor. Where the crowds gather. Whether it’s a live band or a DJ, the


dance floor in full swing has always for me been my happy place and my temple. Possessed by the rhythm, surrounded by others deep in the groove, inhibitions disappear and I enter a state of ecstatic transcendence unmatched by any of my experiences of drugs, Tantra, breathwork or meditation. For me, this is ritual, fully charged. And while to the


LEELA SKY PHOTOGRAPHY


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