After All That We’ve Gone Through, We Really Needed This illustrates how music festivals represent vital spaces for the rekindling of social interaction and creative self-expression following sixteen months of social distancing and self isolation. Traditionally known as places of creative sanctuary and artistic liberation, music festivals offer audiences the opportunity to break free of everyday societal constraints and to perform identities outside those of normal day to day life. Shot over ten days and across 6 festivals, this collection asks questions as to where and when the ‘performance’ really exists within the festival, moving the gaze from the stage to the crowd, while capturing the joy, release, connectivity, and community for those attending festivals for the first time since 2019.

Project description by Dr Oliver Peterson Gilbert, Goldsmiths, University of London.