Greenbelt Festival
Artistry. Activism. Faith. Where my worlds collide.
Greenbelt has, for me always been a sanctuary space, from my first trip in 1986 as a young adult, my first date with my now wife was Greenbelt 1994, then as a couple, as youth workers, for eighteen years as parents and now as a volunteer in an eighteen strong photographer team.
It was pretty basic in the early days but as my son said, a bit of hardship does you good, helps you appreciate the good stuff more. My camp bed is a bit more comfortable, the toilets are a vast improvement and the food is now fantastic.
What has evolved over the years is the depth of the debate, the range of voices, the diversity of the music and the interweaving of this trinity of Art Activism and belief – put simply To believe is to act.
It has been a privilege to be part of the volunteer team, it’s a bit of a working holiday (which I avoided for so long) I work in teams but in my day job I’m usually the only photographer.
A special quality that Greenbelt gifts the artists is the warmth of the welcome they receive, on stage, in panel discussions, intimate interviews, time and time again artists comment on the quality of debate, and they get to hear how much their work means to Greenbelters.
What I have always enjoyed is connection, meeting people from one year to the next, not always of like mind but prepared to challenge and be challenged.
