Transformational Festivals: Potential within a Modern Counterculture Movement Transformational festivals have become exceedingly popular in the recent decade. There are several praises and criticisms on both ends of the spectrum as to why this might be. Is the trend perhaps simply a form of escapism, an attempt to temporarily disengage from the hum drum of the everyday? Can they truly offer a spiritual and personal growth? How can transformational festivals help us understand contemporary capitalism, and the desire to “escape” it? How significant are these “neo-tribal gatherings” (Johner, 2012), and what potential do they hold? I propose that these festivals exist in a unique place within the realm of capitalist/ consumer culture, with a potential to cause paradigm shifts in our perception and relationship with it. They strike a perfect balance between homogeny and heterogeny, with individuality and social connection, essentially taking the best of both ideas and creating something new, a space for true freedom of expression and community. There are several criticisms and questions that I explore and attempt to answer in this article. How can we understand the relationship and tensions between counterculture and the market? How has the evolution of counterculture provided the basis for major shifts in technology and perception? Does repeating the experience of these festivals provide a foundation for long-term social change? To begin conveying this complex relationship, I’ll be painting with a broad stroke to adequately cover the larger ideas, because an in-depth ethnographic study of these festivals would take up volumes. In order to understand the gravity and possibilities that exist in these temporary spaces, I’ll begin by discussing the general history of counterculture and its emergence and evolution in response to changes in post-World War II America. What ideas and shifts came out of it? Then, 1 of 14
in order to put these festivals into context, I’ll broadly cover a range of festival types and sizes. I’ll also address some of the more widely claimed criticisms associated with this cultural movement. Finally, I’ll explore the potential of these festivals, and how they have the potential to shift and change the fundamental suppressive qualities of capitalism and consumer culture. Paradoxically, however, the festival goer must entrench themselves in the realm of capitalist culture leading up to the event: buying the ticket, purchasing amenities (food, shelter), driving to the festival, purchasing fuel, etc. So then, where do festivals fit in? Can this festival culture perhaps be more accurately described as a hyperculture (exceeding beyond), existing within capitalism but changing it for the better? Can it be part of it but also resist it? Can this festival culture truly be “transformational”, or are the effects only temporary? The Birth of Counterculture The term “counterculture” was adopted in 1960 by sociologist Milton Yinger to describe “a set of values and norms significantly different from and often in direct contrast with the dominant values and norms that exist today.”(Yinger, 15) From the definition we can safely assume that the concept existed long before the term was coined. How did the psychedelic revolution of the 1960’s and the War on Drugs affect the perception and evolution of this movement? How has counterculture provided the basis for major shifts in technology and critical theory? How does it compare and contrast with the modern festival movement? After World War II, America was transformed in several ways. Counterculture was essentially born out of “a refusal to interface properly, or at least seamlessly, with the machinery of what President Eisenhower so famously called the military-industrial complex in 1961. Countercultural strategies of ‘dropping out’ served for a short moment as effective interruptions in the 2 of 14
disciplining and integration of working bodies into the labyrinthine assemblage of post-war capitalism.”(Scott) To put it simply, there were millions of people who were anti-establishment and anti-government. They were against the everincreasing power of corporations, war, and gaps in wealth distribution. There was a need and longing for reconnection with nature and community, and the counterculture movement spoke to these issues that consequently surfaced. Communal and alternate forms of living were a central theme to the values of counterculture. The mathematical simplicity associated with Richard Buckminster Fuller’s internationally-known geodesic domes, for instance, made them a central icon during the communal living period of the 1960’s. The domes aligned perfectly with the do-it-yourself, sustainable practices of this culture, thus “becoming identified with alternative lifestyles.” (Geodesic Domes) Today’s movements, including these festivals, are directly affected by counterculture. “Raves, anti-globalism protests, pie throwings, tree sits, happenings, and many other events drawing on sixties nostalgia also link temporariness and dynamism together with a communal anti-market ethos.”(Kozinets, 35) There is a direct and clear connection between counterculture, the psychedelic movement, and digital culture. Certain relationships and connections made in the 1960s via these movements are directly linked to concepts like ubiquitous computing and cybernetics. For instance, Stewart Brand is an American author who became involved with author (and fellow counterculture enthusiast) Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters(1) in the 1960’s. During these road trips that began in 1964, Brand was entrenched in the ethos of counterculture: psychedelic drugs, experimental music and light shows (including producing some of the Grateful Dead’s first shows), and communal living. These experiences eventually led him to the creation of the Whole Earth Catalog, a counterculture magazine focusing on alternative education, sustainability, and do-it-yourself, hands-on 3 of 14
experiments that challenged conventions with user-generated content. To summarize, Brand and his colleagues brokered a long-running collaboration between San Francisco flower power and the emerging technological hub of Silicon Valley.”(Turner, xx) Through expansion of consciousness and growth through anti-market/antiestablishment ideals and practices, psychedelic substances and communal living, the world was seen by some in a brand new way: “through the lens of information, communications channels, and their organization.” (Castillo, Choi, Clark, 130) 130) “The evolution of the period [involved] pharmacological, technological, and spiritual means to expand consciousness and alter one’s perception of reality, to the foment of a publishing revolution that sought to create new networks of likeminded people and raise popular awareness to some of the era’s greatest social and political struggles, to new ways of refusing mainstream society in favor of ecological awareness, the democratization of tools and technologies, and a more communal survival.”(Walker Museum: Hippie Modernism) It’s clear from these connections that counterculture had a significant impact on festival culture. It created a place for freedom of expression and expanded consciousness, leading to innovations and inventions that would change art and technology forever. These modern festivals maintain and build upon the values of the 1960’s countercultural movement, and we see those effects in the outputs of creativity created within them. The intersectionality between expressions of art, music, and technology at a festival makes it clear that important and meaningful things happen there. Addressing Criticisms There are, understandably, several criticisms associated with the festival movement. For instance (and this is not an exhaustive list), there are claims that 4 of 14
festivals are a form of utopian escapism; just an excuse to use illegal drugs; that they gravitate towards the white middle/upper class; that they are contradictorily participating in the very market they are fundamentally against; and/or that these festivals only create access for a small sliver of the population, essentially excluding certain groups and cultures. I’ll briefly address each of these claims. First, I’ll address the claim that these festivals are a form of escapism. Escapism has a negative connotation attached to it, but is simply defined as mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an "escape" or dissociation from the perceived unpleasant, boring, arduous, scary, or banal aspects of daily life.”(Wikipedia) In a study conducted by the University of Bath that interviewed over 100 festival attendees in the UK, the overall message “was that festivals provided an escape for young people who felt ground down by the competitive nature of finding work that wasn't either satisfying or enriching, the constant pressure to achieve and the sense they got from society that it was their personal failure if they didn't manage to make the grade – financially, socially and on the career ladder.” (Tickle) To this I immediately think, so what? Everyone needs escape and fun. Remember recess?” After all, what are we escaping from? Next, I briefly address the consumption of illegal drugs at these festivals. Yes, attendees use them. Not all do, but either way, certain drugs are a big part of these festivals, just as they were part of the prototypical events of the 1960’s. To those who are against drug use in these contexts, I challenge you with this: Why are (potentially harmful) pharmaceutical drugs and potentially lethal narcotics, tobacco and alcohol legal, while other, some less harmful, mind-expanding substances that have been used throughout history, are not? Who makes the rules you follow, and, more importantly, why might that be? Who created the negative connotations associated with counterculture? Question everything, and always ask why. It’s my experience that knowledge and power are often subjective and never 5 of 14
without bias, and those who make the rules and feed you information are no exception. Meaning is, then, inherently biased. Meanings and myths, therefore, are historically produced and differ from culture to culture, and evolve over time. People attach meaning to certain words and ideas based on past experiences. If the government and mass media have the majority of power and money, what part of the story are we being fed and why? I summarize by asking, where do my biases and opinions come from, and what imagined boundaries do I create, and why? Next there is the question of accessibility and exclusion. Are these festivals geared towards a certain audience (specifically the white middle-to-upper class)? Are they for everyone? Are they really “radically inclusive?”(The Ten Principles of Burning Man) Well, yes and no. On one hand, the cost to attend these festivals, especially the larger ones, add up and not everyone can afford the costs or the time off. Cost is a factor, as are several other avenues for entertainment. This fundamentally excludes some. In addition, many of these larger-scale, elaborate art pieces are sponsored by companies and people with lots of money. To that I say, if they want to spend their money on participatory art, more power to you. These experiences are unique and offer their own challenges, and universality is impossible in that context. While it is true that the majority of Burning Man and similar festival attendees are caucasian, international festivals reveal that there is a diverse range of ethnic groups and countries involved in the transformational festival culture. Large-scale participatory, art and music-centered festivals exist in both the global north and south, such as Japan, England, Bulgaria, Guatemala, and Sweden. I’m aware that there are similar arguments about class and race related to the “hippie culture”, but I won’t elaborate on that here. It’s true that the counterculture was anti-market yet still participated in it. It is also true that symbols of that time period (long hair, for instance), gained 6 of 14
popularity, essentially becoming more “mainstream” (which is an unfortunate yet unavoidable effect). Frank Thomas argues in “The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture” that the mainstream advertising industry capitalized on the popularity of counterculture, entrenching themselves in the very thing they fought against. It’s true that not all festivals are created equal, and some are more commercialized, sponsored, and profit-driven than others. That’s what happens when things become popular in a capitalist, consumer-driven society. Again, it’s unavoidable. It’s important, then, to recognize these differences, and “address the dense collection of issues with the aim of bringing countercultural artistic practice into critical focus, examining the obstacles that have led to the marginalization of the counterculture in the history of art (Auther & Lerner, xviii). This claim of marginalization echoes the attitude of Thomas Frank and his generally disenchanted views towards the birth and growth of counterculture. In other words, who marginalizes, and why? Festivals and Gatherings from Large to Small A transformational festival is defined as “a counterculture festival that espouses a community-building ethic, and a value system that celebrates life, personal growth, social responsibility, healthy living, and creative expression.” (Perry, 2013) Festivals vary in size, from smaller, more intimate gatherings in remote desert locations, to larger, sometimes more commercialized, advertised, popular events. To better understand these differences I’ll quickly cover three different yet equally impactful transformational festivals: Burning Man, Lucidity Festival, and Moontribe Collective. Burning Man is an annual festival in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada, bringing more than 60,000 diverse humans per year to one of the 7 of 14
uninhabitable places on earth so they can express themselves in new and dynamic ways. “Burning Man, as a reaction against mainstream values and beliefs, could be seen as the beginning a countercultural movement. While not a movement to the same degree of the 1960’s cultural rebellion (yet), Burning Man is planting the seeds alternative ways of living and being. “Burning Man, as a reaction against mainstream values and beliefs, could be seen as the beginning a countercultural movement. While not yet a movement to the same degree of the 1960’s cultural rebellion, Burning Man is planting the seeds of an alternative way of living in the world. The process of building towards a movement begins with deviant behavior that forges a growing community and enacts a set of common values and beliefs” (Bowditch, 5). Similarly put, “Burning man is not about major social change, but minor changes in identity taking place collectively and simultaneously.”(Kozinets, 32) The power of collective energy can’t be underestimated here. These events are temporary, but have a lasting and potentially life-changing effect on people where music, art and meaningful experiences happen in a uniquely inclusive, comforting, and inviting environment. Why is radical expression one of the primary principles of the Burning Man ethos? Because we have been suppressed as consumers. “Markets have been hypothesized to directly affect individual consumers by homogenizing them and suppressing their self-expressive capabilities.” (Kozinets, 22). Due to the effects of the culture industry, we are being fed a constant “sameness,” homogenizing us through consumerism, the media, and the market: “Pseudo individuality is rife: from the standardized jazz improvisation to the exceptional film star whose hair curls over her eye to demonstrate her originality. What is individual is no more than the generality’s power to stamp the accidental detail so firmly that it is accepted as such, Horkheimer & Adorno, 18). By the same token, these communal experiences in beautiful, remote places offer a possibility for “authenticity”: “To 8 of 14
validate worth or confer esteem, people seek out what sociologists call authenticity — the sense of meaning and dignity, or a connection with other people and experiences” (Chen, 65). Festivals offer the perfect opportunity for authenticity in all the ways mentioned. Another reason that “some consider Burning Man’s countercultural principles and activities a de-commodified haven from conventional society [is that] it inspires all of the things that are not part of the corporate world that they have to live in every day… it gets them closer to the real. Something that everybody has been looking for.” (Chen, 66).This demonstrates how festival culture can increase awareness and knowledge of self and others. The repetitive beats to the music, unique expressions of creativity, and feeling of community have “tribal, shamanistic undertones. It just pulls something out of you.” (Alvarado) This mindset allows our whole selves, conscious and unconscious, to be open to new ideas. (Johner, 2012) The range of events, moments, and happenings at Burning Man are impossible to cover in this short piece, however it’s safe to say that as Burning Man continues to grow, it will create new paradigms for performance, installation art, community, and invented rituals that bridge ancient traditions to the twenty-first century. (Bowditch, xxx). Another way these festivals differ from traditional capitalism is the idea of gifting and exchange. Kozinets for instance compares Burning Man’s gifting practices to that of other historical indigenous groups, such as Potlatch gift exchanges in the northwest. This unique form of exchange promotes a feeling of community and connection far different from the disconnect consumers have from their purchased goods. Lucidity Festival is a smaller, more intimate festival of about 3,000 attendees taking place annually in April in the hills above Santa Barbara, Calif. It offers family, group and individual camping areas, multiple themed villages, an extensive array of live musical performances, workshops, demonstrations, and 9 of 14
areas that invite and offer creative outlets, leisure, and conversation; a chance to be an observer as well as a participant in the experience. Their message is clear: “Lucidity is an open-source transformational arts and music festival. We call it open-source because we co-create this festival experience with you! We invite you to come play with us, get involved with one of our seven themed villages, call together your star family, bring art, lead a workshop, spark a spontaneous flash mob, embody a character from your dreams, be silly and wild and free!” (“Lucidity: Who We Are”) They invite collaboration and learning through decentralized, collaborative means (open source). Additionally, they hold various events throughout the year educating about permaculture and sustainability. They focus on a connection with Earth and all living things, and what’s possible through collaboration, connections, awareness, and positivity. That might sound far-fetched for some, but it’s no coincidence that the lyrics say “all you need is love” and not “hate” or “money.” Lucidity, LLC’s future goals are also transparent and encouraging: “Lucidity Festival, LLC is rapidly growing and restructuring to accommodate larger and more diverse projects, to include but not limited to: the development of Intentional Communities and self-sufficient regenerative systems grounded on a collectively owned and operated property, an expansion of the Lucid University, producing retreat-style and more focused intentional events, festival start-up and consultation, lucid marketing and conscious media production, to name a few. (“Lucidity: Who We Are”) Last but not least, Moontribe Collective describes themselves as “a community of moon-loving nature-loving southern California desert dancers who have been gathering under the full moon since 1993. Our gatherings are noncommercial -- fueled completely by volunteers and donations.” (Moontribe: About Us) They share their music and recorded sets from gatherings as free downloads on 10 of 14
their website, and encourage counterculture practices, such as sustainability, leaveno-trace, alternate community and exchange, and radical inclusion. Smaller gatherings can be more accessible for some, as well: they’re generally shorter in length, require less planning, and cheaper than their larger counterparts: Moontribe asks for a small donation per carload, to help cover expenses such as generator fuel, any rental equipment such as generators and porto-potties, etc.). Clearly this festival culture is widespread, diverse, and blooming with potential. Unique Opportunities at festivals Generally speaking, these festivals can provide alternate ways of seeing, living, building, exchanging, creating: ultimately allowing ourselves to be “humans being, not humans doing,” as Kurt Vonnegut said. All of these things combined with effective communication, networking, and relationship building can lead to creative new ideas. The list of possible experiences and outcomes of these transformational festivals is immense, encouraging, and impossible to completely cover: There is a general dissolution of power structures and boundaries, a feeling of community, a space to expand consciousness through meditation, yoga, dance, or mind-altering substances, allowing us to be in the present and have freedom of expression and general acceptance. Artists, musicians, performers and attendees might perform as well as teach, learn participate and observe. They offer an alternative approach to education and learning. Is it possible that within these spaces there is an “undercurrent of something bigger,” a possibility to experiment and “co-create our future?”(Johner, 2012). To push the point even further, there is an inherent feeling of safety in anonymous groups with common goals: Vincent Rafael in “The Cell Phone and the Crowd” illustrates how, even in the chaos and imbalance of a protesting crowd of energized protesters, there is often a sense of
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“discipline and respect” a lack of “social distinctions”, and a sense of “collective cooperation.” (308) Conclusion: What’s the significance? The unique blend of opportunities and potential is unique and greater than the sum of its parts; transformational festivals such as Burning Man put emphasis on “self expression and self-transformation rather than practical matters [which] provides it with a useful differentiation from prevailing ethos of productivity and efficiency used by market forces. At Burning Man, discourse and practice relating art and self-expression to a vast variety of forms of consumption and production can be understood as attempts to temporarily re-enchant a social world dominated by rationalized, efficiency-driven consumption by encouraging a temporary reemergence of an animistic culture where things regain their magical meaningfulness” (Kozinets, 32). In other words, the system we’re in make work ing and making money top priority; but they shouldn’t be. Outside of those realms is where magic happens; outside our comfort zones. I don’t discount the freedom and opportunity we have in US. However, it’s important to be aware of the alarming statistics that point to some major flaws in the system: the United States has the most mass shootings, obesity, prisoners per capita, and prescription drug use in the world. Many of us drive three hours in traffic almost daily to our workplace to afford a house in a bad neighborhood that we can’t spend any time in because we’re either working or driving to and from work. There are inherent issues with this current state of capitalism and consumerism, and people are starting to wake up to those inconsistencies: “There is “a growing awareness that this ‘system’, notably including universities, functioned to train youth as unquestioning worker drones for an economic and
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political matrix bent on environmental destruction, social injustice, racial inequity, imperialist wars and global capitalist exploitation.” (Scott) I’m not suggesting by any means that these transformational festivals are flawless, the perfect answer to all our problems, or a utopian example of an ideal future. However, they exist in a very special and unique place where changes can be made over time, and it’s important to recognize these possibilities, and value the power of collective energy, participation, and positive intentions. Bibliography: 1. Adorno, Theodor and Max Horkheimer. “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception,” Dialect of Enlightenment. New York: Continuum, 1993. Print. 2. Barthes, Roland. “Myth Today,” A Barthes Reader. New York: Hill & Wang, 1994. Print. 3. Chen, Katherine K. “Authenticity at Burning Man,” Money, Markets, Movements. Sage Publications, Summer 2009, Web. 4. Kozinets, Robert V. “Can Consumers Escape the Market? Emancipatory Illuminations from Burning Man,” Journal of Consumer Research. Oxford University Press, June 2002. Web 5. Frank, Thomas. “The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism.” Chicago: U of Chicago, 1997. Print. 6. Bowditch, Rachel. “On the Edge of Utopia: Performance and Ritual at Burning Man.” London, New York, Calcutta: Seagull Books, 2010. Print. 7. Auther, Elissa and Adam Lerner. “West of Center: Art and the Counterculture Experiment in America.” 1965-1977. Minneapolis, London: University of Minnesota Press, 2011. Print. 8.
Castillo, Greg, Esther Choi, Alison Clarke. “Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia.” Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2015, Print.
9. Turner, Fred. “From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism.” Chicago, Illinois: The Chicago Press, 2006. Print.
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10. Yinger, J. Milton. Countercultures: The Promise and Peril of a World Turned Upside down. New York: Free, 1984. Print. 11. “Electronic Awakening.” Dir. Andrew Johner. Electronic Music Alliance, 2012. DVD. 12. “Spark.” Dirs. Steve Brown and Jessie Deeter, Spark Pictures, 2013. DVD. 13. Alvarado, nicholas. "House of DJs Spotlight Series Presents: Pumpkin." Interview. House of DJs 23 Feb. 2015. Youtube.com. Retrieved 26 March 2016. Web. 14. Perry, Elizabeth,"Transformational Festivals: Where Ecstatic Spirit and Sonic Celebration Unite". Redefine Media LLC, 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2016. Web. 15. Scott, Felicity. “Episodes in the Refusal of Work.” http://c-lab.columbia.edu, C-Lab Columbia Laboratory for Architectural Broadcasting. Retrieved 6 April 2016. Web/print. 16. Louise Tickle, “Music festivals: The sound of escapism.” www.theguardian.com, July 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2016. Web. 17. “Geodesic Domes.” http://www.dahp.wa.gov/. Department of Historic Preservation, 2016. Web. 6 April 2016. Web. 18. Larry Harvey, “The Ten Principles of Burning Man,” www.burningman.org, Burning Man, LLC, retrieved 4 March 2016. Web. 19. “Moontribe: About Us,” www.facebook.com/moontribecollective, Facebook, Inc. Retrieved 28 March 2016. Web. 20. “Who are We?” www.lucidityfestival.com, Lucidity Festival, LLC. Retrieved 28 March 2016. Web.
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