ANYONE feeling despair at the division going on across the globe should look no further than this year’s Brighton Festival which has just been launched.
Guest curator Kate Tempest – recording artist, musician, poet, playwright and novelist – has made it her mission to bring a unifying and healing force to three very exciting weeks in May.
Via a Skype interview beamed into the beautiful surrounds of The Dome venue last week, Tempest outlined her vision.
“Music, literature, theatre, film – these things are important, they bring us together into the same space, they give us ourselves, they bring us to life, they beam our humanity back to us in all its hideoous beauty,” she said.
“And in these times, with the fear spreading everywhere and the divisions between us deepening daily, we desperately need to remember that we are all part of the same thing.
“I believe the arts are the most important cultivators of empathy that we have at our disposal. This is why I believe that art is social. It should be part of life. No big deal – just life itself.”
Brighton Festival, which runs from May 6 to 28, is the largest annual, curated multi-arts festival in England. It encompasses theatre, dance, visual art, debate and spoken word.
Highlights this year include outdoor, site specific works that encourage audiences to see the ‘Everyday Epic’, the festival’s theme, in the landscape.
For the Birds is a light, sound and kinetic sculpture trail experienced as an immersive night-time adventure through a secret woodland location.
Five Short Blasts:?Shoreham takes audiences into the harbour on a small sea-going vessel to explore the mystery of the elements.
Storytelling Army sees tales being told by people from all walks of life in pubs, supermarkets, buses and other locations.
Big names coming include Billy Bragg, Ali Smith, Shirley Collins, cabaret diva Meow Meow, Jenni Murray, and comedian Rich Hall. Tempest herself is giving three performances.
It’s inclusive, experimental and electrifying. Go explore. Visit the website: www.brightonfestival.org