Solent and Bestival announce partnership agreement
Wednesday 13 July 2011
Southampton Solent University and Bestival have teamed up for a unique agreement that places Solent as the sole academic partner to the music festival organisers.
As a result, Solent University students will be taking on roles in all areas of festival production for both Bestival and sister event Camp Bestival. The University is also curating Bestival’s Science Tent.
Bestival founder Rob da Bank has been supporting the University’s ground- breaking work within festivals after he was invited to appear as a guest speaker at the University’s music industries event, SMILE.
He said: "I found Solent University’s annual SMILE event inspirational. The students asked some cracking questions, which reflected the University’s innovative and independently-minded courses. We've taken Solent University students on work placement for a couple of years now and they've been exceptional, so this academic partnership is a natural fit for us."
Course Leader - BA(Hons) Popular Music Journalism - and Solent University Festivals Coordinator, Dr Martin James, added: “We have developed some very exciting links with music festivals over recent years, but this partnership with Bestival is the best yet. It will allow us to support the students who have real drive for future employment within the music festivals industry. They will have unrivalled opportunities to focus their skills.”
During Bestival, the students will be working in stage and production, sound and lighting and artist liaison. They will also be filming two stages for a live multi-camera feed which will be projected onto the festival’s LED screens. Popular Music Journalism students will be working on Bestival’s daily newspaper, The Bestival Bugle.
University bands, The Widowmaker and Fly, Frankie Fly! will be performing at Camp Bestival after being personally selected by Rob da Bank.
Dr Anthony Gallagher, Senior Lecturer in Maritime and Coastal Studies, will curate Bestival’s Science Tent in which a range of academics from Vestas Technology R&D; Keele University; the National Oceanographic Centre, and the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at the University of Southampton, will demonstrate their practical science expertise.
He said: "It’s an exciting venture which enables us to communicate science in an innovative, fun and interactive way, while getting over key messages relating to climate change."
BA (Hons) Music Promotion student Carly Rockett worked in artist liaison at last year’s Camp Bestival. She said: “Working at Camp Bestival was eye-opening and inspiring. I gained invaluable knowledge.”
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Festival industry facts
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Audience research shows that festival goers have been undeterred by recession
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Independent festivals generate more than £135 million for the UK economy
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They generate £16.3 million for local businesses
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Glastonbury contributes more than £100 million annually to the economy
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UK major music festivals attract more than 7.7 million visitors who spend £1.4 billion during the course of their trip.
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This music migration is boosting the UK’s economy to the tune of £864 million and sustaining at least 19,700 full time jobs.
(Based on research by Association of Independent Festivals and UK Music)
Solent University at the 2011 festivals
• Ejector Seat – students performed, managed and crewed the stage, promoted the event and supported the event management team.
• Glastonbury – students filmed two stages for the BBC and produced a series of ‘green’ documentaries for Glastonbury.com
• Blissfields – students created the programme, produced a series of short documentaries, crewed both the main and second stage, performed on the second stage, worked in artist liaison and in the box office.
• Camp Bestival – students will be supporting stage and production, sound and lighting, and artist liaison; filming two stages for live multi-camera feed which will be projected onto the festivals’ LED screens. Student bands will be performing.
• Wilderness – students will be running all aspects of a mobile stage.
• Pulse Festival – students will be performing and stage crewing.
• Bestival – students will be supporting stage and production, sound and lighting, and artist liaison. Students will also be filming two stages with for live multi-camera feed which will be projected onto the festivals’ LED screens. Solent lecturer Dr Anthony Gallagher will curate Bestival’s innovative Science Tent.
Bestival
An annual three-day music festival held at the Robin Hill|| country park on the Isle of Wight||, England||. It has been running since 2004 and is organized by DJ and record producer Rob da Bank||. It has been voted the best medium-sized UK festival in the UK festival awards three times, most recently in 2010. Headliners for 2011 include The Cure, Bjork, PJ Harvey and Public Enemy.