Staging the Spectacular at Glastonbury Festival

As the sun set over Worthy Farm thunderstorms filled the skies and provided a dramatic backcloth to the Glastonbury stage. With nightfall the festival became a playground of light, movement and sound where following the Glastonbury tribes was a rich, powerful, synaesthetic experience. We encountered performances that were epic and spectacular and some that were intimate and up-close, revealing innovative and imaginative work by leading performance designers.

The Pyramid radiated light and video projections connected music with visuals as we discovered a sonic journey through the festival. The world of Arcadia was edgy, progressive, radical and kinetic; the physical and aerial performances pushed boundaries. The scenography of block 9 created immersive theatre and dance where the festival goer was always at the heart of performance.

We are constantly reminded that Glastonbury is a creative melting pot where ideas are realised and experiments take place; the legacy of which resonates through the performing arts industry- be it the Paralympics Closing Ceremony or through the work of site specific theatre companies. We know many of the festival creators and collaborators have connections to the V&A and we welcome future opportunities to showcase designs and imaginings.

In our mission to document, deconstruct and archive Glastonbury 2014 we are working with an artistic team of film makers and sound designers who will help us capture and reconstruct the essence of the festival for an immersive filmic presentation. We are also documenting the stories and memories that bring the archives to life….