Glastonbury festival and the performance of remembrance

Bowman, Marion (2009). Glastonbury festival and the performance of remembrance. DISKUS, 10

URL: http://jbasr.com/basr/diskus/diskus10/bowman.htm

Abstract

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performance Arts (better known simply as The Glastonbury Festival) is an eclectic annual gathering during which diverse performances of music, dance, comedy, circus arts, film and other expressive forms are on display. It is also significant as a site where, primarily in the Healing Field and King's Meadow (also known as Sacred Space, Sacred Ground), various forms of healing and contemporary religiosity are on show, and as such it is an important centre for the dissemination of these phenomena. However, less obviously, it is also the locus for the performance of remembrance in a variety of ways, from one off memorial 'installations' and, exceptionally, permanent memorials for people connected with or influential to the Festival, to more general sites of mourning and remembrance for festival goers. This article - very much work in progress - looks at some of these sites, and their underlying aesthetics, rationales and significance within the Festival context.

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