Greenbelt 2012 Review

Date: 28 August 2012 16:26:21

Greenbelt began early for me this year as I was working my ticket by being part of the volunteer reception team but this review is going to begin on Friday evening when the festival programme got going. (For those, like me, who wouldn't be able to afford to go otherwise volunteering is a great way to be able to give back to the festival as well as earn your ticket and I highly recommend it). Friday night began with Grace Petrie on The Canopy stage. Despite a few technical difficulties at the beginning of the set she was on form and suited the smaller stage which has returned to this part of the site. I think I am correct in saying that all the material came off the Mark My Words CD, (although some of the tracks also appear on other recordings she's released), which is why Inconvenient Love Song which I'd been hoping to hear didn't make an appearance. One thing which amuses me about singer song writers and speakers who wouldn't label themselves as Christian at Greenbelt is the way they worry much more about the use of bad language (which always tends to be in context) than those who would profess a faith. Petrie fell into this category, and it was a shame because it put the attention on to the swearing rather than the wider lyrics which the particular word - which was mild if one compares it with Martyn Joseph's performance a few years ago - were part of. Then it was on to see Peterson Toscano's performance piece Transfigurations which looked at gender transgressions within the bible. As somebody with a transgender partner I am on an ongoing journey of trying to get my head around the way in which gender exists, is ascribed and is transgressed and as a Christian I am on an ongoing journey of trying to understand the bible and how it can speak into contemporary life and experience. Thus, this was an extremely useful performance to witness - as well as a great way to relax and laugh. Then it was over to the beer tent to briefly join in Third Party's 18th birthday celebrations. There was tiny bit of cake left but apparently I had missed a good portion of the beer tent singing happy birthday to her as it was produced. Was so good to see her enjoying the day with her friends and colleagues. Saturday morning saw me engage with mud for the first time as I ventured into the Galilee venue to listen to Kate Coleman talk on leadership and more specifically women in leadership. I've heard and read her before and so was expecting it to be good and I wasn't disappointed. Talks wise this was my highlight of the whole weekend. She took as the foundation of her talk John 4 v 3-30 (if you want to be reminded of this story of the Samaritan Woman this You Tube clip is always worth a look). From this text Coleman drew out 5 principals for leadership, which the woman in the gospel reading exhibited. They were: 1) A great name is not a prerequisite for a leader. 2) We lead from who/ where we are and who we are becoming. 3) We need to be able to embrace initiative. 4) We need to dare to be unconventional and innovative. 5) We need to be community minded. Then it was over to the first of the Martyn Jospeh curated events of the weekend which come under the title of The Rising and which involve singer songwriters talking and performing. Besides Grace Petrie there was somebody from Paper Aeroplanes and an amazing American guy called Willy Porter who was amazing. I particularly liked his song How to Rob a Bank which as I write is available to listen to for free on his website. Then I made my first visit to GTV, (which was to become my home for much of the festival). GTV was a new venue which had a number of 10 minute talks going on which were filmed and are going to be released on the Greenbelt website over the year. This first session included Tim Norwood who is the CofE area Dean round here who was talking about network church, (effectively giving a paper based upon some of his recent research). It was interesting and something I'm looking forward to perhaps hearing more about but it did make me laugh because the map he produced in one power point slide which showed the links and hubs which existed within one of the congregations studied did look rather like the chart which Alice draws and extends in the L Word (but without names included obviously). Before I got down to main stage to see Stanley Odd the heavens opened and there was a major storm which signified the beginning of the flooding and mud-bath. There are those who will inevitably not be joking when they read something into the fact Peter Tatchell was in the Big Top talking in favour of equal marriage when the storm broke. Anyway back to main stage and Stanley Odd. Their indy hip hop style can v. much be located in the late eighties and is clearly influenced by groups such as The Beastie Boys and PWEI. I personally love them and the set was which culminated with Think of A Number my musical highlight of the weekend. I think it was after this I encountered Thistle Farms and the Community of Magdelene which was the most moving thing at the festival for me. This was a mix of music, story/ testimony and information from an American group who were working with sex workers. The music came straight out of Nashville and was excellent country and bluegrass but it was the words of the two women who had come through the programme which were most amazing. I felt honoured and humbled to be able to hear them. Later in the evening we headed of to mingle with the Methodists after having had a cup of tea with a number of Ship/ Wibsite types. This social/ catching up bit of the festival is one bit I love. Sunday began early with Radio Four Sunday Worship which was my favourite worship event of the weekend. With its mix of traditional hymn singing, contemporary jazz arrangements, poetry, responsive prayers, bible readings and reflection style sermon snippets it was exactly the style of worship I can most engage with and was a real blessing. Then it was over to main stage for the main Greenbelt Communion service. Whilst GB Communion is always a bit hit and miss I felt this was possibly the best since 1990. It was straightforward, although a little wordy in places, and was something you could follow. My one criticism was that the liturgy/ communion was led by an all female team and it smacked a little of point making political correctness at the expense of balance. Then it was back to GTV for Vicky Beeching's talk on Wired Worship and Virtual Virtues. It was a talk which covered a lot of ground in a very user friendly way. She covered new technology, the ethical issues involved relating to our on line selves and finally the need to sometimes switch off and engage in solitude. I found the middle segway the most interesting and it made me think about this blog. It began long ago when there were good reasons given for anonymity and pseudonyms....but that time is gone. Yet, my online identity, (through this blog), is in many ways still Tractorgirl rather than Sally Rush. Vicky's talk raised the question for me of whether I should let Tractorgirl rest in peace and start a new blog in my own name. Comments on this or any other bit of this post welcome. This was followed by one of the 10 minute talk series on "Is God....". For me this session was most informative in illustrating the difference between those speakers who were old school and treated it like a stand up set but pretty much without the jokes and those who got how the format was designed to mix visual and vocal in a bite-size chunk. Next it was off to Tom Wright (former Bishop of Durham) which was as expected a good and useful talk but one which sent me into a bout of cynicism. I was yet again agitated about academics who approach the public square in a certain way and very politely make certain judgements as off hand comments between telling us what we ought to think whilst dismissing the value of much experiential knowledge. Then it was back over to GTV and a discussion on democracy. This was an interactive panel discussion with Peter Tatchell, Hannah Lownsbrough (Campaigns Director) of 38 Degrees and Labour MP Stella Creasy. I was impressed by all 3 speakers and what they were saying, but particularly by Creasy. She was speaking in a way which was beyond New or Old Labour but maintained the values the Labour and Co-Operative movements was based upon. She gave me some hope about the future of politics in this country and the stake we may still have in it after all. Monday was a 10 minute talk day by and large after the second helping of the rising which was, as Martyn Joseph himself indicated, one of the best they've had there over a number of years. The 10 minute talks included more "Is God...." presentations including one from Marika Rose on is God Useful? This was an excellent talk from a new, young speaker and I really enjoyed it. I'd heard Marika give papers in Durham and so knew she is an excellent theologian but I really loved how she was able to convey deep thought and theory with excellent visuals to a non-academic audience. For me, in many ways, her approach contrasted totally with Tom Wrights and illustrated the positive new way of in which serious academics with a knowledge of social media communication techniques are effectively engaging in the public sphere. The last thing I went to this Greenbelt was another series of 10 minute talks and there were three within them which I found particularly thought provoking and well presented. The first came from photographer Richard Hanson who was talking about the way we need to listen to think about how the media (and we ourselves if involved in social media) mediate stories. The second was from craftivist Sarah Corbett who is part of Craftivist Collective. She was explaining how she got into craftivism, but within this spoke about the reasons activists get burnt out and become disillusioned - her words in that part of the talk spoke deeply to my soul. Finally it was Peterson Toscano (see blog link this time) who took the concept of the 10 minute talks and how to communicate effectively in such gatherings using new technologies a step further by interacting with a US based artist during the talk. If anybody can let me know her name that would be great. Then it was home......although in many ways Tuesday morning always feels like leaving the family home and going back to wherever I happen to live now. This year was no different, and perhaps with Third Party's movement into adulthood and independence, exaggerated further because Greenbelt is now not only where I catch up with friends I haven't seen for a while as well but it is now where I also catch up with my daughter as well as other members of my extended family. As I put it over the weekend some people go home for Christmas, I go home for Greenbelt. But the last word has to be a picture which sums up what GB 2012 will be remembered for by all [caption id="attachment_5823" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

Greenbelt 2012 Mud[/caption]