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Collaborating
Collaboration within festivals where participation has an intensity all of its own
ConFest
The oldest and still the best self organised festival
DOWN TO EARTH – A Shaping Of Alternatives
The Cotter A.C.T. December 10 – 14, 1976
The purpose of the festival is to show the urgent need to SHAPE ALTERNATIVES NOW. Ways must be found because of the violent, acquisitive, alienated, industrial society which now poses a threat to survival. People have for centuries searched for equality and the right and ability to determine their own development. Individuals must accept responsibility for themselves. Personal happiness and equality, as much as a good society, depend upon self realisation. The most vital factor today is a sense of true identity. This is lost because our identities are created by others - not by ourselves. The all-powerful externally created hegemony in this assumed-to-be-free society, and its internalised personal alienation, must be understood if self realisation can be achieved.
The starting point must be the "will to be the self which one truly is".
There must be equality and effective individual participation in government and in every other group activity if self realisation is to be achieved.
The festival will be concerned with the search for the true nature of man and woman.
For many centuries the belief that man is inherently bad has exercised tremendous influence. Because of this belief, individual needs are suppressed and the result is that personal helplessness, lack of independence and the desire to be led are created. From infancy on people are trained to be self-denying, falsely modest, self-effacing and mechanically obedient. They are taught to suppress or hide their natural feelings and energy.
Social ideology is governed by contradictory altruism, by guilt and by the inability to experience work and action as a pleasure. This results in tendencies towards violence. But it is not the basic natural need of people that has a destructive and hedonistic outcome - it is the result of the repression of basic natural need that is violent and destructive.
The internal social crisis of today that results from these contradictions means that we must SHAPE THE ALTERNATIVES NOW.
There is not just one alternative. The new society will be made up of the choices of multitudes of people - individuals and groups - who are determined to find a way out.
No one can be excluded.
Sincerely,JIM CAIRNS.
This call of Jim Cairns was answered with the following manifesto;
The following Manifesto was written by attendees at the first ConFest at Cotter River Canberra, December 1976.
What we have begun here, and what we will begin from what has begun here, has drawn out of dreams a reality for which humankind has, in the past, shown itself prepared to kill, it is a reality we have achieved because we have been prepared to love.
Our wholeness has come from the experiences of our common origin and drawn us through the difficulties of diversity, our attitudes and lifestyles, to a unity so deep and abiding, that not one of us who has shared this experience will leave without being deeply changed.
We have reached into each other here and found ourselves, where once many of us were afraid to touch each other, afraid to be intimate, afraid of the thought of love. We have in a few short days, broken through into a consciousness that is so powerful in its newness, that it is as yet difficult to describe.
We are each the manifesto of the Down to Earth Movement. We are the ones who will carry what was once a dream, and continue it as a reality. No words can say what we are. No words can tell the impact we shall achieve as examples of what happened here; we are the ones, and we no longer need words’
ConFestors at Cotter River ConFest - December 1976
Rainbow Serpent
An amplified child of Confest
The Rainbow Serpent Festival has come a long way in 10 years. From a small gathering in a secluded clearing, to an internationally recongnised, multifaceted weekend of dance, colour, expression and celebration. People now travel from all over the world to Western Victoria to experience what some have said is the best outdoor festival of it’s type in the Southern Hemisphere.
For many of the 7,000 plus people that attend each year, Rainbow has become an institution, and annual reunion, a marker in the year that’s looked forward to for months in advance. For others it’s a fresh discovery of opportunity and escapism, a chance to connect with like minded individuals and to celebrate nature, community and harmony. Perhaps the continued success of Rainbow can be accredited to the broad experiences and opportunities on offer.
No longer just an electronic music festival these days you can expect to experience a unique combination of music, art, performance, spiritual education, relaxation and healing. "While dancing their Dreamings, aborigines spiritually connect themselves to the land and to the Dreamtime. The drumming of feet during the dance draws the earth into dialogue with the dancers, allowing the ceremony to bring the power of the Dreaming to life." The name Rainbow Serpent is distinctly Australian, coming from the Dreamtime creation story told by the traditional owners of the land. Dreamtime stories often vary between aboriginal tribes, however the story of the Rainbow Serpent is special as it is one of the few common to all. The Rainbow Serpent is protector of the land, and the source of all life.
Music has always been a highlight of Rainbow. From the early trance days to the broader musical style of today, one thing Rainbow has never compromised on is the quality of it's acts. With world class décor, roving artistic performances, crazy activities you cant imagine a more exotic sensory mix spread over four days. Put simply if you’ve never been to the Rainbow Serpent Festival, now is the time to buy a tent and call your friends.
Burning Man & Seed Australia
The Ultimate in participation and self manifestation
Burning Seed is the annual Australian regional Burning Man event, taking place over June long weekend, June 9th - 13th 2011. We will be camped in lush grass fields with enormous trees, a tranquil bamboo grove and nestled in a bend of the Bellinger River.
Burning Seed is an event dedicated to the creative arts, community, radical self-expression and radical self reliance. The community exists and grows through communal effort. Burning Seed is a commercial free event reliant on the participation of community members to achieve its needs, goals and dreams. The experience of positive interaction and ‘radical inclusion’ grows through the existence of a ‘Gift Economy’.
Burning Seed is a direct extension to the core principles of Burning Man as defined by the Ten Principles and 10 Fundamentals, plus the wider philosophy of Burning Man. Every member of the community is strongly encouraged to participate! Participation and immersion in the event allows for connections to form and grow and for community to flourish.
It is important that you have read and understand the 10 principles of Burning Man and the Survival Guide before you decide to come. This event is not for everyone. You will be expected to get involved! You must have everything with you to survive the four days when you enter. You will not be ‘entertained’ in the traditional way of festivals. This is not a traditional festival! There are no booked DJs, no paid team to clean up your trash. It all comes down to you. Entertainment comes through the limitless expression of your imagination in whatever manifestation possible. This could mean anything…. storytelling, fire-acts, costumes, dance, theatre, making pancakes, circus, music, theme camps etc…. If you have an idea, skill or talent, bring it!! The efforts and talents of a community existing to enrich and inspire each other provides fertile ground for the spirit of play, community and genuine interaction to take place.
Serpent Trail
Discovering Australia through a number of festivals when linked togethor form a number Cultural Trails to travel the country by. A site where your festival Facebook, Myspace, Forums, Twitter websites are all linked into one spot and available in a handy text form. For now its just the eZine while we sort out the website.