Nonsolomusica
Beyond the music at open-air festivals
Beyond the music at open-air festivals
If the reason why people go to concerts is pretty straightforward, the same can’t really be said for music festivals. The length of such events and variety of genres offer a wide appeal, which people of different ages and social and geographical origins somehow might feel attracted to, but there's no clear answer when it comes to defining why.
So, while music festivals may be well-known to the collective imagination thanks to the iconic images of their glorious ancestors (Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock), what are they like nowadays? Can a festivalgoer "type" be pinpointed at all? Can the people become the central subjects of these events, instead of artists and bands alike? And can their experiences be told through the visual language of photography?
With an approach half way between in-depth reportage photography and photojournalism of the “war-zone” kind — where one must act and operate quickly, for there is only a limited amount of time one can spend in a certain place — this is an exercise in photography as much as it is an exercise in creating a rational sequence out of the images produced, which ultimately needs to convey a sense of journey, an experience within, of and for the people.
The project was my thesis in visual communication for the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) and it was carried out independently and "solo" over a period of three months, of which seven days in total were spent at two music festivals in Switzerland.
So, while music festivals may be well-known to the collective imagination thanks to the iconic images of their glorious ancestors (Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock), what are they like nowadays? Can a festivalgoer "type" be pinpointed at all? Can the people become the central subjects of these events, instead of artists and bands alike? And can their experiences be told through the visual language of photography?
With an approach half way between in-depth reportage photography and photojournalism of the “war-zone” kind — where one must act and operate quickly, for there is only a limited amount of time one can spend in a certain place — this is an exercise in photography as much as it is an exercise in creating a rational sequence out of the images produced, which ultimately needs to convey a sense of journey, an experience within, of and for the people.
The project was my thesis in visual communication for the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) and it was carried out independently and "solo" over a period of three months, of which seven days in total were spent at two music festivals in Switzerland.
“Sei via da casa,
incontri tanta gente,socializzi,bevi un bicchiere
con gli amici.È come andarein vacanza,la musica è un plus.”
“Away from home,
meet new people,
socialize,
have a drink
with friends.
It’s like going
on holidays,
music is a plus.”
incontri tanta gente,socializzi,bevi un bicchiere
con gli amici.È come andarein vacanza,la musica è un plus.”
“Away from home,
meet new people,
socialize,
have a drink
with friends.
It’s like going
on holidays,
music is a plus.”
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