Edinburgh festival.. an Open space event

[Marty Boroson]

Dear Phelim

Yes, I believe you have captured the spirit of a festival and it's open
space-like features.  This has helped
me to understand why I like festivals so much--even the less "fringey" ones!

They give audiences a more participatory relationship to art--a much more
dynamic experience than the conventional "to clap or not to clap".  People
get caught up in the buzzzzzz.   There are so many things happening in an
unexpected way, and in nontraditional spaces.   Audience members are
co-creating the field, in a wider, deeper, and more obvious way than they
might do in a normal arts event.  There is often a sense of swarm, as people
listen for the news of what's the best new show, find out what new events
have been added, and vote with their feet.  They also find the same people
gravitating to the same events, and make new friends.  In the pub or
festival club at the end of the day, there is often a kind of debriefing and
sharing of information that has some of the benefits of a closing circle or
evening news.  Frequently, performers, producers, critics and audiences can
even mingle together in these clubs--something that almost never happens
normally--and this is wonderfully subversive to cultural hierarchy.  This
whole process--this way of being an audience--is often far more exciting
than the productions themselves.  In other words, the real show is happening
not on stage but in the cafes and bars and streets.

With fringe festivals, there is always the dilemma for producers of how to
"keep" it "fringey".  Once a fringe festival becomes successful there is a
seemingly unstoppable tendency for it to be come more highly planned and
produced.  Then there will develop a Fringe of the Fringe, or a Beyond the
Fringe Festival.  More space must be opened.  This peripheral space always
seems less organised and more spontaneous, and is often where the "edge" is.

Marty


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phelim McDermott" <phelim at mac.com>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 1:19 PM
Subject: Edinburgh festival.. an Open space event


> I had a realisation...
>
> that the reason the Edinburgh fringe festival was such a successful
> event (Perhaps not anymore) was that it was created operating on open
> space principles.. a group of people gathered together and convened
> various shows.. in one city and it was "self organised".
>
> Whoever turns up are the right people and  often that means no one
> turn up to your show. "Maybe its a great show way ahead of its time!"
>
> The programme is one big bulletin board for which you sign up for
> more than you can possibly see.
>
> Often the show before have not struck their set so you have to be
> open to whenever it starts is the right time.
>
> The city is full of people "bumble beeing" and butterflying... and of
> course the bars and coffee breaks are the real reason for going....
> where the real juice of the festival happens.
>
> Most of all  the law of two feet is supported by the whole event
> because people can always leave any conversation because.... "They
> have a show to get to!"
>
> Of course as the controllers...("Producers" moved in and organised it
> much more) it has got less and less interesting..
>
> just a small thought but think its of interest that open space
> created the worlds biggest arts festival.
>
> phelimx
>
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