EH · Event Horizon: An Audiography of Transformation

Event Horizon: An Audiography of Transformation

“Transformational festivals” are popular contemporary platforms for the performance of community arts. These intentional participatory events have become powerful vehicles for transnational cultures motivated to initiate transit from the conditions of late modernity to mindful, humanistic, and ecologically sustainable futures. Held annually in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert and replicated in over 80 events worldwide, Burning Man is widely recognised as a prototype transformational event. A comparative ethnography of Burning Man and two key European dance music festivals was conducted to evaluate the liminal architecture and transformational logics of event-centred cultures. The project was designed to develop skills in project management, sound recording, and field interviewing; disseminate research results via a guest edited journal issue, two journal articles, industry publications, two conferences, industry roundtables and by hosting a conference; enable training in teaching, research and academic administration as crucial to a career development plan, and be integral to the consolidation of festive studies, sound studies and event-culture research as connected interdisciplinary fields of research. The project succeeded in forging a new understanding of transformational events. The project-derived lexicon of “transfestivity” has facilitated much needed bridging language to the study of transformational events, with such innovation furthering understanding of the role of music and dance in diverse events labelled “transformative.” It has accomplished this via ethics approved ethnographic research and interviewing performed at Burning Man, Boom and Ozora Festivals. Through dissemination in scientific venues, as well as non-academic outreach activities, and with further dissemination projected, the project has advanced the emergent field of Event Culture studies. Project insights are of value not only to cultural anthropology, studies in religion, and ethnomusicology, but for the management of events. Finally, the project not only succeeded in transferring considerable knowledge to the UoH, through enhancing research, teaching and administration skills, it furthered my career prospects.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union