Greenbelt 2010 The art of looking sideways
Features
2 4 6 8 9 10 12 14 16 18 20 18 24 28 30 32 34 36 38 39 40 42 44 45
Letter from the chair Sideways by Kester Brewin Festival highlights Stumble upon What to do if... Worship Keep Monday Special The art of looking sideways A sideways manifesto by Jeremy Woodham Interview: David Morrissey by Simon Mayo Change is the real constant by Phyllis Tickle Interview: Gil Scott-Heron The art of unknowing by Mark Vernon Seeing sideways by Jude Simpson Campaign Trust Greenbelt Angels Volunteers Greenbelt 365 Solas/Proost/Agitate Talks, taxis, books & music G–Store G–Source Partnerships
Listings
50 64 78 83 87 90 100 102 105 107 110 113 114 120
Music Talks Performing arts Visual arts Literature Worship Comedy Film The tank Youth Children & all-age Unpigeonholeable Partners, associates and supporters Thank you
2 Greenbelt 2010
Welcome to the 37 th Greenbelt Festival
Letter from the chair 3
I love this bit. You are holding in your hands that most treasured and carefully curated instrument, the map to help you navigate this weekend – the Festival Guide! It’s always a bit special opening the new one each year. Typically this moment interrupts pitching the tent, with everyone haggling to have a look, clocking the lineup, planning the day, and begging to borrow that freshly minted copy. This year will be no exception. In these pages you’ll find a stunningly eclectic lineup of music, art, talks and comedy that immediately says “Greenbelt”. Where else will you find the Dodge Brothers on the same bill as Stanley Hauerwas? The art of looking sideways – our theme for 2010 – encourages us to look at things from unlikely angles. Take a sideways look through the Guide, and you’ll spy groups of passionate, generous, skilful people who have worked hard all year, giving time and helping to create and curate the site and programme. Hundreds of them. In fact, in a sideways sort of way, you now hold the culmination of over a year’s worth of curries, conversations, cups of tea, phone calls, meetings, budgets, spreadsheets, negotiations – all sifted and sorted and distilled into these pages. Taking a sideways look can also mean going a roundabout route, affirming that goals can be effectively achieved when pursued non-directly. For us at Greenbelt, this might come through visits to Iona, pilgrimages to Israel–Palestine or supporting Solas – a fledgling sisterfestival in Scotland. It might also mean putting on lectures, collaborating on campaigns, funding people and projects via Trust Greenbelt, hosting occasional gigs or emailing dispatches with news of
artists, agitators, activists and Angels – our heavenly host of regular supporters who get the latest information about what’s happening with the festival all year round. If you want to be more involved in this incredible journey of arts and justice you can find out more, sign up as a volunteer, give to Trust Greenbelt, support our Just Peace campaign, or become an Angel by visiting the stand in G-Source or by going to the website. The feedback you’ve given us says that Greenbelt continues to provoke all kinds of surprising outcomes for so many people each year – a renewed artistic passion or a new vocation discovered amongst a tangle of people, on a racecourse in Cheltenham. Of course the festival would be impossible to hold here without Racecourse managing director Edward Gillespie, to whom we are so thankful; nor would it be possible without our Partners Christian Aid and the Methodist Church, our Associates, our fantastic office staff (this year we were very pleased to welcome our new Greenbelt director Gawain Hewitt, and development manager Jo Bega), our volunteers, and all in Cheltenham who welcome us here. By Tuesday morning the Festival Guide is always dog-eared, coffee-stained, tatty and torn. It will have become a fitting memento of another great weekend, a reminder of a non-direct journey without a destination, of exploring faith, justice and the arts from improbable perspectives, and a festival propelling us forward, with all kinds of possibilities. I can’t wait. Have a great Greenbelt.
Andy Turner, Greenbelt Festival chair
sideways.
Words Kester Brewin © 2010 Image Wanja Kimani wanjawakimani@gmail.com
Kester Brewin Another sideways glance: I am empathising with the pain, then mocking, frightened, pleading guilty, condemned, argumentative… an innocent man somewhere lost in the middle of all this; “remember me” all my cry “remember me” when I should remember him, or others I forget, I forget. So I write on my shoulder to remind myself that I’m done with up and down now, all straight ahead and backwards. The art is to look sideways where a third way opens out a new axis extruding the solid dimension into the place of parables comedy and theatre subversion and mystery for those on stages know that “we turn from the light to see”.
Until I looked to one side saw others alongside me a dusty road to a new city who is the third who walks always beside you? cross-nailed at some splintered origin he didn’t look just up to father or down to mother; no my salvation was in the sideways glance of that true brother
for I am both robbers right and left he looks one way, I am accusing and scheming pitying and arrogant, wanting him to save me, wondering why he didn’t save himself.
They told me to look ahead, stay ahead get up, look down on others, look behind me, stay focused, suspicious, aware of the competition. Up. Down. Behind. In front, Winning. Losing. These were my axes.
Sideways 5
6 Greenbelt 2010
highlights. With twenty-five venues and over five hundred pieces of programming, choosing what to see can be a daunting task. Over the next four pages, we’ll try to help you out. To start with, here are just a few things we’re looking forward to...
As part of our Keep Monday Special programme, the legendary Gil Scott-Heron takes to the Mainstage to headline the festival. Known as the godfather of socially conscious hip hop, Gil Scott-Heron has been a poetic, political and prophetic voice commenting on American 20th-century black and urban experience since the 1970s. His radical storytelling has taken on apartheid, war, and inner-city poverty. An inspiration to the many that followed him, his most recent album, I’m New Here, is more personal in its reflections and is perhaps an even more interesting cultural commentary for it.
As anyone who saw the Ricky Gervais Politics tour in 2004 will testify, award-winning comedian Robin Ince is a very patient man. He is also a very funny man. And, as an atheist coming from a family of clergy, a very interesting man, to boot. A BBC Radio 4 regular and Latitude festival veteran, catch Robin Ince’s hilarious late night stand-up show (containing some strong language) in the Big Top on Saturday night.
If you have ever played a game of table football and wondered what it would be like to be one of those tiny plastic men stuck together on a big metal rod…well this is your chance to find out. Human Table Football comes to our new fun-filled familyfriendly Arena where there’ll be opportunities for festivalgoers young and old to join in circus workshops, junk musicmaking, “kitchen klatter” sessions, sack races, dance workshops, withy sculpture and more.
Highlights 7
Zic Zazou are more than just a group of maverick French factory workers, handy men, and “bricoleurs”. Despite the suggestion given by their blue overalls and a huge stage set comprising industrial piping, hammers, nails, power tools, and ping pong bats, Zic Zazou are nine incredible musicians and performers who will get your toes tapping and your faces grinning. Brocante Sonore on Friday night is music, theatre, comedy and much, much more, all bundled into one fantastic Gallic performance.
Peter Sanders is a man to whom photography has always been more then simply pointing and clicking. Starting off his career in the swinging 60s, he photographed some of the most famous faces in rock’n’roll; Dylan, Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones were all names his 35mm film could drop, if it could speak. After a conversion to Islam in the 1970s, Sanders’ photography embraced his new faith and spirituality, and in his work he sought to reflect the spirit of Islam, its art, tradition and culture. As he describes his efforts to do this, the words of an Urdu poet come to mind: “To see the reality of Madinah you need more than just sight; you need vision”.
Inventor, musician, sound experimentalist and leader of the antifolk movement, New York-based Thomas Truax brings his homemade instruments and looping melodies to the Performance Café. Truax is an artist well versed in the art of looking sideways, from his unusual musical devices to his recent album Songs From The Films of David Lynch he always approaches his work from a rare perspective. We’re just not sure if he’s bringing his Cadillac Beatspinner Wheel, Hornicator, Stringaling, Backbeater or Mother Superior…
Blue suede shoes? Check. Polkadot skirt? Check. Fine looking quiff and a high hanging ponytail? Check. You’re ready for the Rockabilly Grand Ball! Throughout the weekend we’ve rock‘n’roll dance workshops, Sing-a-long-a-Grease, and to top off all this 1950s fun The Dodge Brothers will be headlining in the Big Top as part of this year’s Monday night party. Get dressed up, get hand jiving, and stay cool.
8 Greenbelt 2010
stumble upon this... Whether it’s your first festival or your thirtieth, there’s always something new to discover at Greenbelt. And alongside all of the brilliant programme stuff, here are some other highlights to tick off… The Worship Cooperative is a new venue dedicated to alternative worship. Contemplative, exploratory, innovative and challenging, the space will host a variety of groups, musicians and communities making special moments of worship suitable for all ages. Drop in for a moment, spend an hour, or come and go as you please… Play Holly Yoon’s Water Piano in Hall of Fame – is it a musical instrument or an art exhibit? Simply dip your fingers beneath the surface of the water, and the ripples you create will make beautiful music. Feeling creative? Why not learn a new skill at the Greenhaus school of art? From painting to printmaking, drawing and calligraphy to spray-painting and street art, the Greenhaus offers a unique opportunity to express yourself creatively using media you may not have worked with before, and respond to the festival in a totally different way. Sign up in The Hub for sessions. Our Partner Christian Aid will be installing a piece of perspective art on the site for you to stumble across! Brilliantly illustrating their campaign against tax dodging, be drawn into the image and drawn into the issues. Once you’ve done all this, you’ll need some refreshment – and what better place than the Blue Nun wine bar near the Box Office. We like to think of it as the most civilised place on site, even though the furniture is made of hay bales.
Highlights 9
finding your way. As well as the highlights listed above here are some things you might want to check out if… ... it’s your first time at Greenbelt 1 John Bell’s talks 2 Last Orders 3 Soul Space 4 Beer & Hymns 5 G-Source 6 Performance Café ... you want to investigate Greenbelt’s Just Peace campaign further 1 Nigel Varndell’s Bluffers Guide to Israel-Palestine 2 Jeremy Hardy vs the Israeli Army 3 Jay Ghadia’s 1000 Peace Cranes 4 Ice and Fire’s Palestine monologues 5 Panel discussion: Time to boycott Israeli goods? 6 Brian Klug’s talk 7 Clare Short’s talk ... you are a church leader 1 Silent Pilgrimage 2 Dilwar Hussein and Bishop Tim Stevens’ talk 3 Kate Coleman’s talk 4 The Worship Cooperative venue 5 Bishop Peter Selby’s talk ... you’ve been coming to the festival for years 1 Roger McGough 2 Wild Food Forage 3 Angels Lounge 4 Art installations 5 Jesus Hopped the “A” Train 6 Abide 7 Impact Dance ... you’re here with young’uns 1 Arena family fun venue 2 Selfish Giant 3 Messy Space 4 Greenhaus 5 Sing-a-long-a-Grease 6 Children’s Scratch Choir
10 Greenbelt 2010
the silent pilgrimage. A meditative journey through the physical space of the festival.
The temporary architecture of the Greenbelt site shapes our festival. Do we view the site merely functionally, or through it can we encounter the divine?
The Silent Pilgrimage is a site-specific sound installation that takes the participant on a reflective journey around the festival site; discovering moments of reflection, celebration and blessing held, within the common framework of the site around us all. Away from the festival, the physical environment that we inhabit shapes our being. Whether the city or hamlet, the countryside or the town, the presence of God is within them all. The spiritual is physical; the physical is spiritual. Do we view the environment that we inhabit functionally or is it an icon into the divine? The Silent Pilgrimage opens these questions, exploring sideways encounters through the physical. We have commissioned five groups to write meditations: Frunt, Molten Meditation, Harry and Jon, Spirit Walk and Stephen Divine. The meditations, of both words and music, will provide a unique soundscape for the site this year. They will reflect on the site location and also on a particular stage of the silent journey. To hear these meditations and take part in the Silent Pilgrimage you will need to collect a pair of headphones and map from the Angels Lounge in G-Source (leaving a refundable deposit). You can then begin your journey. When you are within range of the transmitter you will hear the meditation on your headphones; use the meditation to engage with the site around you.
11
communion. Communion has always contained the sideways look. At Da Vinci’s Last Supper table, extending lengthways across a room, the disciples are forced to look not ahead or around at one another, but along another axis. On the cross prefigured in that bread broken and wine poured, a man looks not just to God above or the earth below, but to two thieves at his side. Our Greenbelt communion will be focusing on these sideways glances, these places where we turn our heads and look along another axis. Away from money, vanity and power, across to the collision between art and justice and faith. Many of you will remember last year’s wonderful ice sculpture from Brighton group Beyond: they will return this year with something that will take our gaze into the vertical; the scratch choir will be drawing our heads towards song; and Jesus’ parables, those sideways-stories subverting what we thought we saw clearly, will be cutting through our service in their telling and through our participation. In a guest house on that road to Emmaus, it was when he broke the bread that those followers saw someone afresh. That communal invitation to see things differently remains, and will be at the heart of our time together. A time to see ourselves afresh, to see God afresh, to see our earth afresh, and of course a time to see one another again in the uniquely different light that is Greenbelt on a Sunday morning.
12 Greenbelt 2010
Keep Monday Special 13
keep monday special.
According to Lily Allen, Friday night is all massive crowds and queues, while Gil Scott-Heron thought “Saturday night just wasn’t that special”. “Sunday Night” for Buffalo Tom was when they knew how “the night could pass slow”… Which just leaves us with Monday. We all know why we don’t like Mondays: it’s the last day of the festival. But after last year’s inaugural Grand Ball we now know that Monday night is the new Friday, Saturday and Sunday all rolled into one. Forget The Boomtown Rats, forget packing up your tent or work on Tuesday, we don’t just like Mondays, we love them! This year, Monday night’s Ball is going all rockabilly. It’s going to be time to don the suede shoes and the 50s dresses, slick back the hair and get right back to the sounds of Bill Haley, and the King himself. We’ve drafted in the hippest hepcats The Dodge Brothers to make our party go with a swing, and even complete novices can get in on the action with our jive dancing workshops happening throughout the weekend. You can sing to your heart’s content with our showing of Sing-a-long-a-Grease, and there’s plenty more secrets and surprises to get you in the mood. We’re keeping Monday very special with a huge party, because justice and festival simply don’t care what day of the week it is. So enjoy your Friday, go for it on Saturday and kick back on Sunday. But make sure the rockabilly in you sticks around to Keep Monday Special too...
Image Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga Steele — ernesto@soultravellodge.com — www.soultravellodge.com
the art of looking sideways...
straight ahead
up
down a bit
out
at someone
Image Hannah Broadway — hannah-broadway-pictures.blogspot.com
& sideways again
16 Greenbelt 2010
Words Jeremy Woodham
A Sideways Manifesto  17
18 Greenbelt 2010
We sent long-time Greenbelter Simon Mayo to catch up with director, actor and activist David Morrissey and to get him to share what he’s been doing in Lebanon…
Simon Mayo meets David Morrissey. Simon Mayo: You’ve recently set up an arts organisation called CAST. Can you explain to Greenbelt what it’s all about? David Morrissey: I was asked to put on some drama workshops for children at a UN school for Palestinian refugees in Beirut. I went out to Lebanon on my own to begin with, and spent two days in the two schools where the workshops were going to be, and it was there that I realised that there was virtually no provision for creative learning for these kids. I went back to London, put together a team of 12 drama workers and we went back in October 2009 to do a five-day workshop. Children came from all over Lebanon, and it was such a brilliant experience that we decided to set up CAST – Creative Arts Schools Trust – so that the work could continue on a regular basis. So it’s nothing to do with CAST the Liverpool band led by John Power? “When you’ve said all there is to say walkaway! Walkaway! Walkaway!!!” Thanks for clearing that up! Can you explain a bit more about the work in refugee camps? Drama isn’t part of the national curriculum in the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) schools so it was a whole new experience for the children. Mostly their education is very “chalk and talk” so it was brilliant to get them on their feet and take control of the stories – and their learning – themselves. I didn’t get on with school myself – I left early with very few qualifications – so all my real education came via theatre. It’s how I learnt to communicate and interact with people confidently and I’ve always felt that it’s a really important part of any child’s development.
What difference has CAST made? CAST has brought a whole new area of education to the UNRWA schools and we hope this will continue. What the workshops gave these children permission to do was express themselves, and devise plays around the issues they feel were important to them. Through drama they were able to explore issues like bullying, the environment and how their school is run. Giving children the tools to communicate and express themselves dramatically is so important for building a peaceful and healthy society. Looking to the future then, what is your dream for CAST? The desire to perform is in all children, so hopefully the workshops we’ve developed can be replicated in other areas around the world. I strongly believe that every child deserves some creative training in their education. Role play and characterisation – just being able to express yourself – can illuminate so many other subjects like English and History, and give children the confidence to tackle other subjects that they might find hard. The film you made about CAST is being shown this weekend. What will people see? The film is about the first week we spent out in Beirut. We didn’t know what to expect and neither did the children we worked with, so it was very much an experimental week and we learnt many lessons! But I hope that the enthusiasm and creativity shines though. What you’ll definitely see is just how much the children developed as the week goes on.
Photograph Stuart White
Simon Mayo meets David Morrissey  19
Image Detail from painting by David Shillinglaw, produced at Greenbelt 2009 — www.davidshillinglaw.co.uk
20 Greenbelt 2010
Change is the only constant 21
Change is the only constant.
Phyllis Tickle
There is an old-school clergyman that I know who is prone to opening far too many of his sermons with the observation that “no one except a baby ever enjoys a change.” All of us enjoy a good joke and, Lord knows, I’m usually among the first to observe that almost every talk I hear these days could use a bit more humour to lighten its load. It’s just that this particular quip is far more annoying than it is charming. I’d even go so far as to say it’s kind of alarming. Granted, part of this is simply a resistance to the smugness with which the line is delivered. Each time it is spoken, the man clearly thinks that he has proffered some great insight dressed up in folksy clothing, some simple truth that’ll inform minds less agile than his own. But I’m not even sure that it’s his smugness that gets me. Rather, I think I am troubled by the fact that almost every time he uses the line, he in part succeeds. That is, he manages to dress something very frightening up in period costume and domesticate it for himself and his listeners. The problem with that, for me at least, is that this domestication is to no good end. What he’s dressing up to make pretty must instead be looked fully in the face and acknowledged for what it is: change is not infantile; it is a constant throughout human life. It is a fundamental energy, a force, and stimulus in our creatureness from the first breath we draw until... until... and until... Beyond that truth lies the fact that change by definition prevents there ever being any true stillness. There is no complete stillness in us or in the life that surrounds and sustains us. As the earth and the fire get to work, even in death we are not still. As we look sideways at our lives, we see that change is something we can’t deny or undo. Instead, we need to recognise it as a constant and prayerfully and faithfully engage in it. The first step towards a healthy engagement in change lies not in quips, but in the sober-eyed acknowledgment that change always occurs because someone or some part of the living process wants it. Change can come because it is necessary. It is of us, and we are of it. The second step is to acknowledge that while we cannot prevent or deter change, we can run with it. For better or worse, every shift shifts something or someone or both, and if we
can run with change someone of us or some thing among us or both could be more kindly served than previously was true. Change can mean more justice. The third step is to acknowledge that there are times when change can mean total rupture. It can come so completely, so simultaneously, so ubiquitously, so totally as to interrupt all the normal processes for every part of an organism or group or society – or even of a whole culture and period of human time. These inter-ruptions can be so complete as to disorient and re-form the whole body. And when such times of change occur – and some would say we are living through such a time now – the one thing humanity seeks is the one constancy we have known: we seek God, however we may have known and understood who or what that God is. So when it seems that even these foundational understandings of a sense of the divine are themselves changing – as again is true now – then the agony and terror and illness this can bring to the soul can be equally acute. This leads me to the last thing about change that the unfortunate quip obscures: Some of us will pass through changes conscious of the benefits that it is bringing us, but just as many of us will not feel any comfort or surety at all. So it must be the task of each of us to never forget, through lazy minds or souls, the overwhelming pain, impotence and disorientation of those who are suffering change and cannot yet see any good effects. The art of looking sideways is the art of looking out for changes not just on our paths ahead, but on the paths of those who walk alongside us, those who may need our advocacy. It is the art of observing gently and blessing humbly the life processes of one’s fellow-citizens, of the men and women and children living beside us in the world as it is. Our prayer should be that all of us may learn this art well.
Phyllis Tickle was the founding editor of the Religion Department of Publishers Weekly and is the author of over two dozen books on religion and spirituality.
22 Greenbelt 2010
Photograph Mischa Richter
I’m new here.
Interview: Gil Scott-Heron 23
With his innovative use of spoken word in song, gritty lyrics about poverty and the tough issues in life, Gil Scott-Heron has rightly been described as “the godfather of rap.” Everyone is hugely excited that he is going to be joining us at this year’s festival, and we hooked up with him to ask him a little more about his life and music.
In a song from your most recent album you wrote: “Woman-folk raised me, and I was full-grown, before I knew I came from a broken home...” Can you tell us something about how your upbringing has influenced your music? I was raised by a lady in the church, a Baptist. When she got a piano the first things she wanted me to learn were some of the old hymns, so I could play for their church meetings. I lived close to Memphis so I heard a lot of blues too, so I guess they were the two primary blocks I stood on: the church community and the blues community. Outside of your family, who has been the most significant person in your life? It depends on what I’m doing. I enjoy Lanston Hughes’ work (American poet, 1902-67), I enjoy the writings of Thurgood Marshall (the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States) and the organising strength and the power of speech that Dr King presented. There were a lot of folks in my youth that I came across who inspired me because of what they stood for, and the fact that they dared to stand up. You took your life in your hands when you stood up against certain powers in those days. I never acquired the courage of any of those people; when it comes to courage don’t come to me, I’m just a piano player! You’ve been an inspiration to many as a pioneer in the battle for social justice, and you must have seen many changes through your life. Are there any that particularly stand out? The fact that Nelson Mandela is free is as good a one as I’d be able to find. I don’t know if I’d be able to withstand the kind of mistreatment that he did. There are always incredible people you can gain strength from when you’re feeling a little weak and feeling that your own battles are overwhelming you. You can look to people like this as an inspiration for your own wellbeing, to go on a little further and make a greater contribution than you’ve been making before.
Does your art inform the message, or does the message inform the art? The need is there before the song is there. You recognise what is going on in your society and you meet a lot of people and you find out that people could be much more comfortable and happier if there were certain people who represented their point of view. We don’t pretend to represent all these points of view, but just try to represent the simple idea that some thought should be given before you persecute somebody, because actually everyone has something to contribute to society. We have a tendency to forget the contributions of certain members of society because we’re so blinded by the things we’re taught as youngsters, but we have to get over this. It’s a new world now in many respects – not just a digital world, or a cellphone world, but a world in which there has to be room made for everybody. Do you consider that your music has a spiritual element? The spiritual is in all of us. The aspirations of our parents, and their parents, and their parents – all of this is trying to urge us to do the right thing and push us in the right direction. I call on the Spirit every once in a while, when I’m feeling weak, to give me a little more energy, to help me get over the next hill! Thanks for coming to the festival. As a band we’re anxious to support people who are activists and thinkers. The world is too small a place nowadays for people to have closed minds. There is a need almost everywhere for there to be people who stand up and say that certain things that are happening in society are wrong and need to be straightened out. We’re not trying to turn society upside down, but we’re trying to make little adjustments here and there so it’s comfortable for everybody to live. Gil Scott-Heron plays Mainstage on Monday night. This is an excerpt from the July podcast. To hear the full interview visit greenbelt.org.uk/podcast
24 Greenbelt 2010
Mark Vernon
the art of unknowing. “Tell all the truth, but tell it slant,” wrote the poet Emily Dickinson: “Success in circuit lies.” The advice is itself a truth, a commendation in the art of looking sideways. Dickinson lived in an age when it was becoming impossible to find truth straightforwardly, if ever there has been such a time. In her generation, the Victorian crisis about belief in God peaked. Philosophers announced the death of God. Naturalists challenged what had always seemed to be the best evidence for God: nature’s apparent design. What is striking about Dickinson, though, is that she both experienced the darkness of that doubt, and found a way to transform it into an experience that produced meaning. It’s all about the pursuit of the circuitous. That her medium was poetry is no mere detail. It is almost the whole story. Poetry not only allows her to express herself – her desire for consolation, her anxiety about what’s disappearing – it is also the form of writing par excellence that can keep an eye open for what is peripheral. It can discern truths that words otherwise struggle to articulate. It glimpses, and hopes. She was born in 1830, and although her poems are now widely available, most of her work was not published in her own lifetime. That was partly because she lived as a recluse. In the later part of her life, she even refused to leave her room. But she had, no less, many friends and was as prolific a letter-writer as she was a poet. One of her frequent interlocutors was Thomas Wentworth Higginson, and here’s how Dickinson describes herself to him: “small, like the Wren, and my Hair is bold, like the Chestnut Bur, and my eyes, like the Sherry in the Glass, that the Guest leaves.” That description came in lieu of the photograph Higginson had requested. But isn’t it a case when a few words are worth far more than a picture? Those allusions – wren-like, bold hair, eyes like sherry dregs. They enable us to imagine her person. She draws on the philosophy that recognises our wisdom derives not so much from what we think we know, as from the acknowledgement of what we don’t know. Understanding that generates wisdom. It reaches back to Socrates, who went around ancient Athens telling folk that there was one thing he knew for sure: he was ignorant. He also demonstrated to others that they couldn’t be so sure about what they thought they
knew too. With his famous questioning, he led them to an existential precipice: to know Socrates was to know someone who sought all the truth, and in so doing, realised it mostly lies out of sight. He was profoundly disliked as a result, his bursting ego-filled bubbles arguably leading to his condemnation and death. The same perception is written into the Hebrew tradition, not least in the story of Moses. When he ascends Mount Sinai, he enters a dark cloud. Moses asks to see Yahweh’s glory, and Yahweh concurs, only he will cover Moses with his hand as he passes by, “for man shall not see me and live”. Moses too does not see anything directly. He apparently doesn’t see anything at all. Instead, an oblique experience is granted to him. It is better described as a kind of unknowing, rather than knowing. He must leave behind what he has previously observed because this seeing consists in not seeing. That which is sought transcends all knowledge. Or as Dickinson captures it in her poem: “The Truth must dazzle gradually / Or every man be blind”. If this is our predicament – to be the creature who yearns for more, and is perpetually frustrated as a result – that might seem tragic: life as a bad joke. But it’s not. And Dickinson also knows why. What she realises is that the truth which is beyond us, which is discerned only indirectly, is the only truth that is truly worth seeking. That which we can readily grasp and manipulate is too easy for us. It’s humdrum. It leaves life too small for us, the creature with an eye for the transcendent. But look further, and what you are offered is what she calls truth’s “superb surprise”. That’s why success lies in circuit. Our humanity is spoken to, from a direction – a source – that we had not expected. And our humanity expands as a result.
Mark Vernon is a writer and author of a number of books, including The Meaning of Friendship (Palgrave Macmillan), After Atheism (Palgrave Macmillan) and Plato’s Podcasts (Oneworld), and is speaking at this year’s festival.
The art of unknowing 25
Image Oh God by Michael L Radcliffe — www.artbizness.com — twitter.com/artbizness
The life we came upon while we had set out on another one. The faith we have that we didn’t know about. The divine vision we glimpse in unexpected places. The art of looking sideways.
Photograph Jonathon Watkins
28 Greenbelt 2010
seeing sideways. Jude Simpson
Look at a pie sideways, it’s a chart. Look at a scribble sideways and it’s art. Look at a tummy sideways, it’s a paunch. A family holiday becomes a last resort. Look at a gift sideways, it’s a bribe. Check out a tilted hat and it’s flat from the side. Look at a map sideways, you’ll get lost. Look at a kiss sideways, it’s a cross. Look at a picture sideways, it’s a frame. Look at a crime sideways, shift the blame. Look at a door sideways, it’s a hatch. Look at a rival sideways, he’s your match. Look at what’s dull sideways, find it glints. Looking askance, let your sideways glimpse glance off the edge of what you thought was true. Look at the old sideways, see it anew.
Words Jude Simpson © 2010
Seeing Sideways 29
30 Greenbelt 2010
Greenbelt stands for a Just Peace Following a trip to Israel–Palestine by some of the staff, trustees and volunteers in October 2008, Greenbelt launched Just Peace – a three-year campaign focused on raising awareness of the conflict and highlighting the oppression being suffered by the Palestinian people.
This is our problem Our global story is bound up with what happens with Israel and Palestine. This is not simply because stability and just peace in that region will make for better relations between world faiths and states, but because the fate of Israel and Palestine is bound up in world history. This is particularly true for us here in Britain because we held the “mandate” in the region after World War 1 until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. During that time our generals and diplomats made the Palestinians, who had lived there for hundreds of years, promises they did not then deliver on. It is also true for us not just as Britons, but as Europeans too, for it was on our soil, not so very long ago, that the Jews suffered so horrifically at the hands of the Nazis in the holocaust. After this horrific tragedy, the international community rightly rallied to help the Jews create a new homeland, but the Palestinians enjoyed no such attention or support, and their story and their claims have been increasingly marginalised. Just as it is true for us as Britons and Europeans that the Israel–Palestine story binds our world history, it is also true for us as a global people of faith, for this is the land that the three Abrahamic faiths hold as sacred. We should be especially concerned with what happens in the land that our holy books point to as the Holy Land. We are bound up with this conflict in so many ways, so we owe it to Palestinians and Israelis to work for a Just Peace in their region. And we are in good company: Desmond Tutu has said that the Israel–Palestine conflict is the most urgent problem for the world to solve today.
Just Peace 31
This is what we do Greenbelt has long provided a platform and space for forgotten and oppressed global voices to be heard. We welcomed people like Caesar Molebatsi from South Africa in the dark days of apartheid. We welcomed Gustavo Parajon from Nicaragua while his people suffered so badly as civil war ravaged their country. And we were inspired by Bishop Riah from Nazareth who told us the story of his people, the Palestinians, a people being systematically dispossessed in their own country. Today, the power in the relationship between Israel and Palestine resides almost exclusively with one party; the message of the Israeli lobby is very loudly heard. So, in highlighting the plight of the Palestinians in particular, Greenbelt is continuing its commitment to side with the oppressed, to listen for the voices of those not usually heard on the global stage. So Greenbelt is standing for a Just Peace: for equality of human rights for Palestinians and Israelis; for international law to be upheld; for an end to Israel’s blockade of Gaza, its illegal settlement activity in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, and its occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. We also stand against the collective punishment of an entire people, imprisoned in their own homeland, and against terrorist atrocities and disproportionate acts of aggression by both parties. This is how you can get involved Our global story is tied up in this conflict, but the knots will only be unbound if we each work and do our bit. So we invite you to go to greenbelt.org.uk/campaign for more information and resources to inspire and equip you to make Greenbelt’s campaign your campaign, something you can work and pray towards, so that together we can build a Just Peace for everyone in Israel and Palestine. And onsite make sure you check out our very own section of Separation Wall. Sense its sheer size, and pop into the Just Peace Lounge to find out much more.
This is how you can see for yourself
Greenbelt has always been a festival with campaigning for justice at its heart, and our current focus is on the conflict in Israel– Palestine, which seems to stand at the centre of so many of the world’s flashpoints. The festival weekend has been a place where people can get information about the region, reflect on the issues in our gatherings and hear from those who are intimately involved in peacemaking on all sides. But we know that these different routes into the situation are no substitute for becoming an eyewitness yourself. We want to give you the chance to go and see, so that you can become an ambassador for peace in your community – resourced and equipped to spread the story of this land, once called Holy, and of its holy people – Palestinians and Israelis. To make this happen Greenbelt is partnering with Amos Trust, who have 15 years experience leading groups to the region. Over this time they have built up an exceptional network of contacts on the ground on all sides, so each day you will have the opportunity not just to visit the incredible places of historical interest, but to meet local peacemakers and activists – Christian, Jewish and Muslim. It is through these local voices that you will see first hand the situation of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, Arabs living as Israeli citizens in Israel, settlers living in occupied territories, and Jewish Israelis struggling for justice and peace. The cost of the trip will include flights, accommodation and food (except lunches). You will need to arrange your own travel insurance. From past experience, this will prove a thoroughly enjoyable and genuinely life-changing trip.
Friday 28 May – Friday 4 June 2011 Cost approx £1,200 To find out more, go to greenbelt.org.uk/campaign
32 Greenbelt 2010
“From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life” Arthur Ashe
Trust Greenbelt is our way to give something back to projects in the UK and overseas which use a combination of arts, faith and justice to make a big difference in people’s lives. All money from the collection that we take during the communion service goes to Trust Greenbelt, and you can also make donations onsite at the Angel Lounge, at the Box Office and in the Info Booth – or all year round online.
You can find a full list of projects we’ve supported and more details about how Trust Greenbelt works by going to greenbelt.org.uk/trust. But rather than us tell you, we contacted a few of these projects and asked them to tell you in their own words what work they’ve been able to continue through your generosity. We hope they inspire you to dig deep so that we can continue to make a difference.
Close your eyes and dance This project provides Argentinian tango dance sessions for visually impaired people in London. “The initial grant from Greenbelt enabled me to create partnerships with other organisations such as Metropolitan Sports and Social Club for the Visually Impaired and Thomas Pocklington Resource Centre to offer free or affordable tango lessons tailored for people with visual impairment.” In the words of one participant, “I came to the session because I’ve always had a fear of dancing in public. Now that I’ve tried it I realise that a couple dancing the tango together do so as one, and so I don’t have to worry about not being able to see what other dancers are doing. In a word, it was beautiful.”
Trust Greenbelt 33
Momentum Arts
Remnants
A project which coincided with the 2010 Street Child World Cup in South Africa, which used arts to help street children to learn new skills and to express their own journeys. These stories were brought together at an international conference during the tournament which targeted policymakers and children’s commissioners from around the world. Their aim was to request free legal advice for street children and the appointment of street children “referees” or ombudsmen for better representation within each country.
Remnants is a sewing group for a group of marginalised women in Birmingham who meet twice a week in a Methodist church to share stories, gifts and dreams. The group plan to sell what they make in future. Trust Greenbelt funding provided a professional tutor to help them to develop their skills. “In Remnants we aim to provide safe affirming space in which those who are most frequently isolated and ignored might mix, create,
share, dream and be the beauty of a better world. Our work reflects the enormous potential of ordinary people, nothing flash, expensive, high cultured, detached and exclusive, just real deep beauty. In 2009 Trust Greenbelt generously gave a significant amount of money to secure the future of this project. For that we are hugely grateful.” Remnants will be exhibiting their work in G-Source on Sunday.
“ We aim to provide safe affirming space in which those who are isolated and ignored might mix, create, share, dream and be the beauty of a better world.”
34 Greenbelt 2010
Prison Gospel Choir
Bait Al Thaqafa (House of Culture)
The Chaplaincy Team at HM Prison Hewell has worked with a group of prisoners to form a gospel choir. They’ve taken part in performances and now have a CD of their work, which other prisoners have helped to record and produce. The project has benefited prisoners beyond the therapeutic value of the music itself, by building self-esteem and developing an interest which will hopefully remain with them postrelease. Prisoners are also able to raise money for victims of crime from the sale of the CD.
Bait Al Thaqafa, run in Gaza by The Culture and Free Thought Association (CFTA), has trained 40 local Palestinians to lead groups of children in photography, painting, drama and puppetry and to use these skills to communicate the need to protect children’s rights in Gaza. Over the past year the Bait Al Thaqafa project supported by Trust Greenbelt has been working with children in Gaza on a variety of activities which tell the story of children involved with digging and
using tunnels, which were built to defy the Israeli blockade and import goods from Egypt. As Tasneem says, “we should learn and become more educated. Children should not work in tunnels – they should study so when they grow up they become doctors and engineers. Some families are in need of money but this should not be the reason why they send their children to work in dangerous places.”
“ People dig tunnels and they get buried alive beneath them. Many young people are killed and the number of youth is reducing because of that.” Baraa’
Trust Greenbelt/Angels 35
To twist round an old saying, behind every great headliner is a brave and wonderful support act who do the hard graft of getting the mood right for a brilliant set. And Greenbelt is no different.
Angels
We could get accountants to show you headline figures, but the true beauty is the amazing support the festival gets from its band of regular donors. We call them Angels, and through it all, we love them more than Robbie Williams ever could. As a registered charity, Greenbelt is only able to exist through the donations it receives. Ticket income alone doesn’t come close to covering the festival’s costs, and so it’s only through generous individuals and families that Greenbelt can continue to provide creative inspiration and be a spiritual resource to thousands of people each year. Angels make regular donations to Greenbelt. Their ongoing giving to the festival currently provides around 15% of our income; put simply the festival simply couldn’t survive without them. Angels are securing Greenbelt’s unique position amongst the hundreds of festivals across the UK, enabling us to develop a vibrant and artistic celebration of art, faith and justice.
But being an Angel isn’t just about the money. If you start giving regularly to Greenbelt, you’ll receive an exclusive magazine called Wing & A Prayer three times a year, packed with articles and reviews. You’ll also get exclusive access to a special area of Greenbelt called the Angel Lounge where you can read the papers and charge your mobile phone for free. So if you want to join Greenbelt as our support act, find time this week to visit the Angel Lounge in G-Source. Alternatively, you can sign up via our website any time of year: greenbelt.org.uk/angels. If you’re feeling really angelic, you could even mention Greenbelt in your will. The festival has been running for nearly 40 years, but we want the legacy to continue for many generations to come, so if it’s played a significant role in your life, you might want to help make sure it can do the same for someone else while you perch on your cloud and flutter your wings.
36 Greenbelt 2010
Greenbelt is handmade by over fifteen hundred volunteers. You’ll see them all around the racecourse this weekend – selling Festival Guides, serving tea, pointing you in the right direction, recording talks, entertaining children, keeping venues safe, bandaging sore knees, looking after bands, driving taxis, pulling pints and putting up signs. There are also huge numbers of volunteers you won’t see this weekend. Some are involved in planning Greenbelt all year round – booking speakers, sewing bunting, listening to demo tapes. Many more are hidden away behind the scenes of the festival working quietly through the night while you sleep to keep things running smoothly. By giving up their Bank Holiday weekend and offering their skills, they make the festival happen. Without them there simply would not be a festival. So when you spy a volunteer, give them a smile and join with us in saying a big “thank you” to every single one them. If you’ve never volunteered at Greenbelt, maybe it’s time to give it a try. 2011’s festival could be handmade by you! Our volunteers have a brilliant time and feel that the work they do is worthwhile. To make it happen just visit greenbelt.org.uk/volunteer
Access Beer Tent Box Office Campaign Children’s Festival Comedy Contributor’s Liaison G-Source Information Literature Media Capture Medics & First Aiders Messy Space Music Site Vibing Stewards Sustainability Talks Recording & Duplicating Talks Sales Tank – Internet Café
Volunteers 37
I loved the combination of being at the festival and volunteering. What a privilege – Nikki I thoroughly enjoyed my first volunteering experience – greatly valued the lounge and a cuppa to keep me going. Working in a small team I learnt so much and made new friends – Sarah I arrived only knowing one person and left feeling I had made some new friends – Jade I made a great set of friends and realised how much more fun it is to volunteer – Tom I used the radio quite frequently this year and got rather confident with it – Emily I helped to create something by being there – Caroline I came home more rested and more fulfilled than almost ever before. We gain blessing by serving – Keith Volunteering really improved my assertiveness and confidence – Mike I was able to do something I like doing to make other people’s festival more enjoyable – Victoria Volunteering – what a great way to experience the festival – Luke I just enjoyed being part of it, rather than just taking – Rosalyn Volunteering at Greenbelt was the best decision and I loved it – Gabrielle Control Room Counselling Drivers Event Safety Festival Guide Sales Film Finance Fire Crew Noise Office Volunteers Performing Arts Photographers Press Programming Shop Site Crew Taxis Venue Management Visual Arts Volunteer Support Website Worship & Spirituality Youth
365 38 Greenbelt 2010
Greenbelt is more than a festival over a long weekend. For many of us, it’s become a prism through which the rest of the year’s work, rest and play can be seen. If you’ve enjoyed your weekend there are many ways for you to make that Greenbelt feeling stretch a little further through the months ahead.
Podcasts
Each month we make a podcast. It has interviews with the likes of Brian McLaren and Jeff Halper, lineup news, and documentary-style pieces looking at Trust Greenbelt, our volunteer community and more besides. greenbelt.org.uk/podcast
Blog The Greenbelt blog is chock full of the latest news, links and interesting things than happen in the world of faith, arts and justice. It’s the place we highlight stuff that is distinctly Greenbelt which takes place all year round: campaigns, productions, theatre shows and more besides. Plus, of course, all the latest lineup and festival news for 2011. greenbelt.org.uk/blog
Events Over the past few months we’ve been having a little experiment, hosting small events in our office and various locations around the country, and we’re going to keep the ball rolling into 2011. If you can’t make them don’t worry; we always record the content and make it freely available on our website. greenbelt.org.uk/events
Twitter 140 characters to tell you the latest musings from GBHQ. Pithier than Stephen Fry, and just as witty, we’re well worth following. twitter.com/greenbelt
Dispatches Dispatches is our monthly email newsletter, and is the key source of festival information throughout the year. It’s colourful, informative, and doesn’t use any paper! If you’re not receiving it already, you’re missing out – it’s jam-packed with freebies, news and more besides. Visit greenbelt.org.uk to sign up.
365 / Side by sideways 39
side by sideways. Faith, arts and justice are at the heart of everything Greenbelt does, and when we see other organisations doing wonderful work in these areas we’re always keen to offer support to encouragement to help facilitate their growth. Here are three exciting things we’ve been involved with over the last twelve months.
Solas
Proost
Agitate
Differences in public holidays and school breaks – not to mention geography – mean getting to Greenbelt can be very tricky if you live in Scotland. A couple of years ago a seed was planted in the minds of a small group at Greenbelt and earlier this year, with the support and cooperation of the festival, the first fruit emerged. Solas was a beautiful, wee gathering; a distinctly Scottish affair with a vivid mix of music, debate, theatre, comedy and a whole heap of all ageactivity. After a good first year, next year will be even better. If you’ve friends north of the border, be sure to point them to solasfestival.co.uk
For the last ten years Proost have been working with artists, new worship communities, poets and authors to produce the kind of music, liturgy and videos that would be right at home at Greenbelt. Loving what Proost has been doing, we decided to form a bit of a partnership, which we hope will grow and develop over years, making creative, thought-provoking resources available to the whole Greenbelt community. Click on greenbelt.org.uk/shop/ proost for more information.
This year Greenbelt will be launching a new programme called Agitate to support and nurture new art, as well as furthering Greenbelt’s desire to push our artistic vision. The scheme will commission one new piece of artwork each year, which will be a key part of that year’s Greenbelt and promoted widely. We will also be seeking partnerships to broaden the exposure of the piece through further exhibitions, performances and online presence as appropriate. Applications are welcome from artists working in any creative field. We will initially call for a proposal, with the commission money supporting the development, realisation, logistics and delivery of the new work. For more information, please visit greenbelt.org.uk/agitate
40 Greenbelt 2010
Missed a talk this year? Don’t panic!
Greenbelt records all the talks at the festival, and they’re available to buy on CD or MP3 at the Talks stand in the G-Store, and all year round at www.greenbelt.org.uk/talks But that’s not all! We have a whole decade’s worth of talks available from our website. The hundreds of sessions for download provide an invaluable resource for academic research, housegroup discussion, or even a long car journey. With talks from Karen Armstrong, Rob Bell, Mike Yaconelli, Anita Roddick, and John O’Donohue, you’re sure to find enough info, insight and inspiration to fill your iPod.
Talks/Taxis/Books/Music 41
taxis.
books.
music.
In a hurry for a curry? Running late for Milton Jones? Just need to take the weight off your feet on your way back to the tent? The Taxi team are here to get you from point A to point B in one of their fleet of luxury golf buggies. With pickups all over the Greenbelt site (including Box Office, Mainstage, campsite and Big Top) and space onboard for up to five people, take a taxi and make getting around Greenbelt that little bit easier. It’s only £1 per journey, so look out for the taxi ranks and let the Taxi team take you where you want to go.
If the end of a Stanley Hauerwas talk has left you eager to find out more, or you want to take home something more intellectual than a falafel, G-Books is full of the latest theological theories, intelligent insight and sparkling satire. With books by our key speakers, as well as choice highlights from publishers, our friends at St Andrews Bookshop have assembled a fine collection of tomes to help you dig deeper in your investigation of issues. G-Books is also hosting book signings throughout the weekend, so drop by, see who’s on the schedule, and claim a special souvenir of the weekend. You’ll find them near the Tiny Tea Tent, so have a browse, make a purchase, and broaden your mind.
From Mainstage to the Momeraths, Greenbelt is full of great music, so have a look in G-Music to purchase the latest CDs from the artists who have impressed over the weekend. Operated by Memralife, G-Music is the place to go to buy music, as well as other band and artist merchandise. It also hosts special performances and signings throughout the weekend, so make sure you pop in to see who is due to be there. Support your new favourite artists, and maybe meet a few in person as well ... what could be better?
Sponsored by Ebico
42 Greenbelt 2010
Love Greenbelt? Let the world know!
G–Store  43
We have a range of Greenbelt t-shirts and hoodies so you can carry your memories of a great weekend around with you all year, as well as a full range of fun and useful products to make your festival experience even more memorable.
G-Store is always one of the most popular places on site, so come and have a nose round over the weekend and snap it up quick!
44 Greenbelt 2010
G-Source. G-Source is the place to expand your horizons and meet organisations who, in hundreds of different ways, are making a difference. There are charities working in the UK, Europe, Africa, and all over the world; there are organisations that require your support; places where you can further explore spirituality and justice; and companies offering resources for your home, church or housegroup. G-Source is also home to the G-Stage, where some of these organisations will be hosting their own sessions. And, of course, there’s Pru’s Café, the Angel Lounge, and a place to sign up if you want to volunteer for Greenbelt in future.
Faith Action & Contemplation UK ac-uk.org Bible Society biblesociety.org.uk Church Army churcharmy.org.uk CWO (Catholic Women’s Ordination) catholic-womens-ordination.org.uk Eden eden-network.org.uk Festive festive.org.uk Frontier Youth Trust fyt.org.uk MCU (Modern Churchpeople’s Union) modchurchunion.org Methodist Church methodist.org.uk Open Doors UK opendoorsuk.org Progressive Christianity Network – Britain pcnbritain.org.uk Student Christian Movement movement.org.uk Transforming Worship transformingworship.org.uk Twelvebaskets twelvebaskets.co.uk Urban Expression urbanexpression.org.uk WATCH (Women And The Church) womenandthechurch.org International Development Amos Trust amostrust.org CAFOD cafod.org.uk CMS cms-uk.org Edukid edukid.org.uk LOVE146Europe love146.org Medair UK medair.org Mission Direct missiondirect.org Rediscovering Palestine rediscoveringpalestine.org.uk Skillshare International skillshare.org SPEAK Network speak.org.uk Tearfund tearfund.org Trust Greenbelt greenbelt.org.uk/trust World Vision worldvision.org.uk Social Justice and Human Rights Amnesty International (Gloucester and Cheltenham group) gloucester.amnesty.org.uk
conscience: Taxes for peace not war conscienceonline.org.uk Depaul UK depauluk.org Housing Justice housingjustice.org.uk International Justice Mission UK ijmuk.org Mothers’ Union themothersunion.org NCPO (Network of Christian Peace Organisations) ncpo.org.uk Outerspace outerspacelgbt.org.uk Salvation Army salvationarmy.org.uk/614uk Servants UK servantsasia.org The Boaz Trust boaztrust.org.uk Traidcraft traidcraft.co.uk To Write Love On Her Arms twloha.com Environment Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals aswa.org.uk EarthAbbey earthabbey.com Ecocongregation ecocongregation.org.uk Disability L’Arche larche.org.uk Livability communitymission.org.uk The Stable Company thestablecompany.org Arts and Media Ethnographic Media egmfilms.org Piquant Editions piquanteditions.com Reform Magazine urc.org.uk/reform Tipping Point Film Fund tippingpointfilmfund.com Retreats, Training and Volunteering Anvil Trust workshop.org.uk EfM (Education for Ministry) efmuk.org.uk Redcliffe College redcliffe.org Retreat Association retreats.org.uk Ripon College Cuddesdon rcc.ac.uk Scargill Movement scargillmovement.org The Harnhill Centre of Christian Healing harnhillcentre.org.uk Time For God timeforgod.org Youth With A Mission England ywam-england.com
G-Stage. Friday Church Army The magic of Church Army 19.30 Living Room – Green Christians working together Living Creatively 20.00 Saturday Love146 Human Trafficking: Do anything but do something 14.00 Catholic Women’s Ordination Will the Pope listen to CWO? 14.30 Ripon College Cuddesdon Theological training for today’s church 15.00 Catholic Women’s Ordination CWO’s briefing to the Pope 15.30 Medair UK Global need – who should we be helping first? 16.00 Consp!re Walking with the Forgotten 16.30 Sunday Habitat for Humanity Recreating a habitat for humanity 14.00 Church Army The magic of Church Army 14.30 Network of Christian Peace Organisations What is Active Nonviolence? 15.00 Medair UK So you want to be a relief worker... 16.00 Church Army Open Space: Pioneers creating Christian Communities 17.30 Monday BibleLands Bethlehem Carol Singing 13.00 Medair UK Give wisely - get your gifts doubled! 14.00 MCU Modern Church Roadshow 14.30
G-Source / Partnerships 45
partnerships. If you just look ahead, life can sometimes get pretty lonely. Looking sideways means you get to see and appreciate those who you are standing alongside; those who share your values and your vision; those attempting to tread the same path as you. Greenbelt’s partnerships are forged with such organisations that – out of the corner of our festival’s eye – we have come to realise help us see things more clearly. Our longest standing Partner is Christian Aid, who we are proud to have been working in partnership with for 15 years. Christian Aid insists the world can and must be swiftly changed to one where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty. They provide urgent, practical and effective assistance where need is great, tackling the effects of poverty as well as its root causes. We are proud to support them in their vital work. We are delighted to be joined as a Partner by the Methodist Church. You’ll find them in the Galilee talks venue – exploring what it might mean to think, talk and be a disciple in the 21st Century. From agitating for greater participation and pioneering fresh expressions of church, to voting as a denomination for a boycott of Israeli goods traded out of the Occupied Territories, we think the Methodists are going to feel right at home at Greenbelt. Also working closely with us all the year round are the Church Times, Church Urban Fund and YMCA. As Festival Associates, we stand alongside them in their commitment to high-quality Christian journalism, supporting social action and working with families and young people respectively. Sponsoring us this year are Bible Society, Divine, Ebico, Livability, Mothers’ Union and Traidcraft. We are proud to be working alongside these fantastic organisations who outwork Greenbelt’s values in so many different ways. Our hope is that this weekend you get to see that the partnerships we enjoy are about much more than money. They connect us to grassroots activism, know-how, experience and insight. They lend a richness and variety to our festival programme and to the ongoing rhythms of our dispersed community year-round. They are part of who we are. We are better for them. And we thank them for what they do – both here in the UK and around the world. You’ll find highlights from our Partners’ venues in the Daily Diary.
think.
talk. be.
The Methodist Church, pleased to be Greenbelt’s newest partner. Come and find us in the Galilee talks venue and G-Source.
www.methodist.org.uk
listings.
50 Greenbelt 2010
music. Bypassing our defences, music seeps in through the cracks in the walls. Soothing and moving, it comes at us sideways. From the Mainstage to the busking stage and from the hot and sweaty to the cool and collected, music will be all around us and in front of us this weekend. Let it in.
Mainstage, Centaur & Big Top Arun Ghosh British-Asian clarinetist Arun Ghosh was conceived in Calcutta, bred in Bolton, matured in Manchester and now lives in London. Fusing modern jazz with hip-hop, rock and Asian rhythms and ragas, his musical style reflects this rich geographical heritage. His Indo-Jazz Sextet has been wowing crowds over the past few years. They were voted “gig of the festival” at the Manchester Jazz Festival, and sold out the South Bank Centre’s Purcell Room at the London Jazz Festival. Last year they also were invited to perform at the prestigious Jazzahead! Festival in Germany.
In addition to leading his own groups, Arun plays clarinet in the Balkan/Gypsy Beats band Forty Thieves Orkestar, has acted as musical director for Malian legends Amadou and Mariam, and continues to compose music for theatre and film. Arun’s debut album Northern Namaste was released in 2008 to critical acclaim, and the opening track was included on a Gilles Peterson compilation. His follow-up is set to be released in the coming months. Monday 16.30 Big Top
Music 51
Beverley Knight
Courtney Pine
Breaking onto the scene 15 years ago, Beverley Knight won her way into the nation’s hearts with her stylish, elegant soul songwriting, and incredible voice. Her hits - Shoulda Woulda Coulda, Get Up! and Greatest Day - have made her no stranger to the UK charts with thirteen top 40 hits.
Arguably the best known name in British jazz, Courtney Pine started off his professional career playing saxophone for reggae artists. He switched to jazz in the mid-80s and his debut album, 1986’s Journey To The Urge Within became the first serious jazz album to make the UK top 40.
Beverley grew up in a musicloving family, which with her involvement in an active Pentecostal church, produced the broad tastes that fuelled her sound. Her mix of gospel, R’n’B, blues and soul make her well rounded, and popular with both soul aficionados and a whole generation of young music fans.
Consistently racking up honours, his 1996 album Modern Day Jazz Stories won the coveted Mercury Music Prize’s Album of the Year, he was awarded an OBE in 2000 and made a CBE in 2009, both for services to music.
Her sixth studio album release, 100%, featured songwriting collaborations with Guy Chambers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and appearances from Chaka Khan, Robin Gibb, and Chipmunk. She’s supported Santana, Bryan Adams, Will Young and Take That. In 2007 she was so impressive as the opening act at Prince’s O2 Arena shows that he invited her not only to jam at the after-show, but also at his Oscars party. (We wonder if she mentioned she’d won Celebrity Mastermind, answering questions on the “Life & Times of Prince”.) She’s also proved herself as a talented broadcaster, hosting several series of the critically acclaimed BBC Radio 2 show Beverley’s Gospel Nights. An ambassador for Christian Aid Beverley has travelled far and wide in the fight against poverty. She is also an outspoken champion for people living with AIDS, working with the Terence Higgins Trust and the Stop AIDS campaign. In February 2007 she was awarded an MBE for her contribution to the UK Music industry and her charity work. Sunday 21.20 Mainstage
The last 25 years have seen the jazz warrior go from strength to strength, earning international acclaim and continuing to take jazz to places, both musically and physically, that it’s never been before. His recent work has seen him integrating drum and bass, bangra, and UK garage into jazz as he continues to inspire upcoming generations of multi-racial musicians. He has worked with a ridiculously long list of jazz and rock legends including Ginger Baker, Branford Marsalis, Mick Jagger, Elton John, as well as those who, like him, continue to push the boundaries of modern music; Talvin Singh, Kate Bush and 4Hero. His radio show for BBC Radio 2, Courtney Pine’s Jazz Crusade, is in its 10th series . Friday 21.35 Mainstage
Danny and the Champions of the World Jangling together old and new sounds alike, Danny George Wilson and his collective The Champions Of The World create a ramshackle, poppy-yetsoulful Americana sound. Their eponymous debut album arrived in 2008, and was supported by a monthly residency at The Windmill in Brixton. After two years of
Courtney Pine
touring, Streets Of Our Time was released in January on Loose Music, and is as relaxed and collective-driven as the label suggests, with songs telling tales of “every day struggle, of enduring friendship, of how love can still make it all worthwhile”. Part Springsteen, part Dylan, part Noah and the Whale, part Magic Numbers, Danny and his fellows make a joyful and ageless sound, sure to make a few hearts swoon on a summery evening. Saturday 18.45 Mainstage
The Dodge Brothers The Dodge Brothers wear shirts with names, smack the life out of their instruments and sing songs about railroads, heartbreak and homicide. It is, in short, skiffle. The kind of skiffle that John Peel fell in love with back in the 1950s and was the product of 1920s American jug bands who, too poor to buy proper instruments, improvised on household items. Lonnie Donegan made it big over here in the 50s, and BBC 5 Live and Culture Show film critic (and upright bass player of The Dodge Brothers) Mark Kermode is trying his darndest to do the same in the 21st century. With original tunes in an old style and old tunes in an original style,
The Dodge Brothers playing is a slick as their quiffs. An “exuberant cacophony” of snare drums, banjo, washboard, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, harmonica and that well-slapped bass, they’ll have you whooping ‘n’ hollering like a good old boy. The Dodge Brothers are headlining the Rockabilly Grand Ball (see page 12). Monday 19.30 Big Top
Fionn Reagan More than just another Irish songwriter with a battered guitar and a gentle voice, Fionn Regan oozes sweet class. Originally hailing from County Wicklow, his first album - The End Of History - brought him critical success, picking up a brace of awards and nominations. It was named Best Irish Album of 2006 by the Irish Independent and was one of the 2007 Mercury Music Prize albums of the year. His lovely single Be Good Or Be Gone was also featured on TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Nearly Famous and Skins. Following label difficulties, and a shelved second album at Lost Highway records, Fionn set out on his own, writing lyrics on a typewriter and then recording the subsequent songs in an old biscuit factory. His self-produced second
52 Greenbelt 2010
Gil Scott-Heron Widely respected as one of the founding fathers of hip-hop, Gil Scott-Heron is a poet, author, musician and activist. Spending his early years in Jackson, Tennessee, he witnessed first-hand the race struggles of the southern states as one of the first three children chosen to integrate into an elementary school. At 13 he moved to New York where his writing talent landed him a full scholarship to one of the city’s top private schools. Moving on to university, he only finished one full year before returning to New York on the publication of his first novel, The Vulture. Another novel, a collection of poetry and three albums written and produced with his university friend, jazz musician Brian Jackson, would follow in the next two years.
Dodge Brothers
Scott-Heron’s voice is mesmerising. Whether it’s the slow-but-pointed, cracked-butsmooth delivery of his spoken word material, or the soulful and sweet singing on his more conventional jazz/blues tracks, the sounds that emanate from this man’s mouth are incredible. Herbaliser
album - The Shadow Of An Empire - surprised those anticipating more of the same, with a rockier, more electric sound. Stronger and darker than his debut, the album has been heralded by the BBC as “a brilliantly bold, robust work”. Saturday 19.50 Mainstage
Foy Vance Born and raised in Bangor, Northern Ireland, Foy came to wider public attention in 2005 with the release of his debut EP, and then to a larger audience still when two of his songs were featured on the hit US TV show Grey’s Anatomy. With his distinctively cracked, soulful voice and a skill of writing profound storytelling
songs, he is loved by audiences and fellow artists alike. He’s been personally invited to support the likes of KT Tunstall, Bonnie Rait and Dave Matthews, and has played alongside Pete Townsend and Martha Wainwright. Referred to by many as their highlight of Greenbelt 2009, he has appeared alongside Duke Special and had glowing reviews for his 2007 album Hope. The Sunday Times sung of his “unbelievable voice” putting him “in the premier league of British songwriters”. Saturday 16.00 Centaur
His intelligent, humorous and biting social and political comment stem from his early experiences in the south, and are encapsulated in his most famous work; the 1970 poem The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Described as “an aggressive polemic against the major media and white America’s ignorance of increasingly deteriorating conditions in the inner cities” its title has moved into modern hyperbole. After a decade of struggles with drug addiction, Scott-Heron released I’m New Here, his first album of new material in 15 years this February. Released by XL Records boss Richard Russell, it has been likened to the resurgence-releases of the late great Johnny Cash. Lavishly reviewed by everyone
from The Independent to the NME, Guardian reviewer Jude Rogers dared to offer that “In the week that NME announced its 50 best records of the past decade, I heard one of the next decade’s best”. A legend in his own lifetime, Scott-Heron’s voice retains all the beauty and importance of his youth, but with the added gravitas of age, wisdom and a life lived. Monday 21.20 Mainstage
The Herbaliser On their MySpace page, The Herbaliser’s one-sentence “Sounds Like” box reads “James Brown meets James Bond”. More than just a snappy one-liner this brilliantly sums up the funk-infused, cinematic stylings of one of the UKs most innovative hip-hop duos. Known for their instrumental and vocal offerings alike, Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba have been delighting club crowds since the early 90s. Never wanting to simply be “two guys on the stage playing samples” they expanded to a nine-piece band, and have established themselves as festival favourites all over the world. With seven studio albums and two live albums (the critically acclaimed Sessions 1 & 2), the pair are also in demand as soundtrackers, providing music for Guy Ritchie’s film Snatch and Tony Hawke’s Underground for the Playstation. The band have recently released their Greatest Hits compilation, Herbal Tonic, on the K7 and Ninja Tune labels. Sunday 18.45 Mainstage
Hhymn Bored of what was coming out of the music scene in their native Nottingham, Simon Ritchie and Ed Bannard retreated into what they call “a wilderness world of windmills, zithers, mandolins,
Music 53
ukuleles, harmoniums, dulcimers, double basses, brass and brushes”. They emerged as a five piece band with a truly sublime set of songs. Hhymn spent 18 months fine-tuning their sound, with the additions of Mike Wynne, Amy Helliwell and Will Jeffrey. As a result, Hhymn’s first EP came out last summer, and it was featured by Tom Robinson on his BBC 6 Music show. With wider acclaim and a bulging scrapbook of positive reviews, Hhymn’s precise, yearning and delicate songs are full of the rich musicality of Beirut and the soaring emotion of Fleet Foxes. Monday 14.40 Big Top
Jars of Clay In 1995 a group of four music students found themselves with a record deal and dropped out of university to release their debut album. Their parents agreed they should give it a go with their promise that they’d go back to college if it didn’t work out. Signed to a Christian label, a mainstream radio station in Seattle took a chance and started playing their first single, Flood. Within a few months the song was everywhere, and before they knew it their little eponymous debut had sold over two million copies. Fifteen years, 10 albums and three Grammys later, Jars of Clay show no sign of going back to university and continue to evolve as musicians and songwriters. Tackling subjects as diverse and demanding as social responsibility, spiritual doubt and the duality of the heart, Jars of Clay are an important voice in a Christian music scene only too happy to settle for the niceties of “Jesus is my boyfriend” songs. They are poised to release a new album “The Shelter” in October, based on the Irish saying “In the shelter of each other, the people live”, introduced to them by one
of Greenbelt’s favourite poets, Padraig O’Tuama. In 2002 the band founded the non-profit organisation Blood:Water Mission, providing clean water and HIV projects across sub-Saharan Africa. They will be talking more about this work on Monday 13.00 in Galilee. Monday 18.30 Mainstage
The King Blues Creating protest music at its most vital The King Blues prove that you can sing about politics, get the kids dancing and get played on Radio 1 all the same time.
Hhymn
Dubbed “the most exciting live band in Britain” by Kerrang, they’ve had an incredible couple of years, scoring their biggest hit to date with “Save The World, Get The Girl”, playing a sold-out London show at The Roundhouse, and gracing the cover of Kerrang. They even got their own billboard in Shoreditch, London, spray-painting upon it an open letter to Gordon Brown. Their songs are a surprising mixture of punk, politics, humour and sweet love songs. This mixture, that would have got them laughed out of punk clubs in the 70s, shows them to be a band that couldn’t exist in any decade before this one. Monday 19.50 Mainstage
London Community Gospel Choir Trying to fit LCGC into a neat slot is virtually impossible. Created in the early 80s by Rev Bazil Meade, they were the first concert gospel choir in Britain. Adaptable, flexible and dynamic, they are also the first port of call from artists and bands all over the world, who line up to have LCGC on their albums. Blur, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Depeche Mode, P Diddy… the list is endless. First and foremost a choir of faith (belonging to a church is
Lovers Electric
a prerequisite for membership) they remain unafraid to go “where angels fear to tread” facing down controversy with their professionalism, energy and spirit-filled inspiration. Equally focussed on the community aspect of their name they host regular workshops for all ages in churches, communities and corporate organisations, and are developing new approaches to delivering gospel singing in schools. If you’re 14-19 and love what you hear, they’re also actively recruiting members for an LCGC Youth Choir. As they near their 20 year anniversary LCGC have become part of the very fabric of the UK’s music scene. Sunday 20.05 Mainstage
Lou Rhodes Initially coming to fame as the vocalist for well established the British trip-hop band Lamb, who performed at Greenbelt in 1997, Lou Rhodes has now established herself as a solo artist of distinction. Following the dissolution of Lamb, Lou’s debut album Beloved One was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize, and was followed by a second beautifully crafted album, Bloom, a year later. Her third album One Good Thing was recorded in the wake of a reunion with her partner from Lamb, Andy Barlow, with the band coming together to play the Big Chill festival and Glastonbury last
54 Greenbelt 2010
year, before entering a second period of hiatus. Although taking a break from performing together, Andy and Lou Rhodes collaborated on her 2010 album release, One Good Thing, with Andy producing this new collection of the sensitive acoustic folk that Lou does so well. Her sound has a sparse and fragile quality, matching her soulful and deeply personal lyrics. Lou’s recent songs were born of a tumultuous couple of years, following her sister tragically taking her own life in 2007. One Good Thing is a look at life, love and loss – with honesty, beauty and hope. Saturday 16.45 Centaur
Shed Seven
Lovers Electric Bred in Australia but based in East London, Lovers Electric are gaining something of an international reputation. The band were spotted early on and signed up by Sony whilst supporting 80s synth legends O.M.D (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) on tour. After performing in New York and LA they headed back to Oz to release their debut album Whatever You Want in 2008, gaining a top 10 hit with their first single Honey. Formed of good looking husband and wife team David Turley and Eden Boucher, they are no strangers to Greenbelt having won an army of fans with their Performance Café shows in 2006 and 2007. Their 80s inspired electro sounds, coupled with Eden’s laid-back, breathtaking
vocals are joyful and energising. With a second highly anticipated album recorded and poised for release, they bring their ability to combust a dancefloor at the drop of a stylus to this year’s Mainstage. Sunday 17.40 Mainstage
Lucky Elephant Warm, smile inducing indie music with a beguiling French vocalist who sounds like a trendy Charles Aznavour, Lucky Elephant are here to claim another summer festival as their own. They’re firm favourites at the Big Chill and Bestival, and Q Magazine have called their debut album – Starsign Trampoline – “perfect summer festival fare”. Signed to Rob Da Bank’s label Sunday Best, they’re garnering positive reviews from a wide
range of publications, including the NME, The Sun and the Sunday Times Culture section. Charming, off-kilter and harmony-drenched. Monday 15.35 Big Top
Luke Leighfield Operating at the sweet spot where piano-pop meets air-punching rock bombast, Luke Leighfield is possibly the busiest man in indie. Not satisfied with releasing his third album – Have You Got Heart? – on his own label Got Got Need Records, he has racked up over 550 in gigs the past three years, including appearances in China and Russia alongside less illustrious – yet more pioneering – “hallway gigs”.
Music 55
His debut single – If You Haven’t Got Anything To Say – hit the top five of the UK Indie Charts, and he has featured on festival stages, radio playlists and the soundtrack to the BBC Three comedy Coming of Age. Anticipate classic songwriting, performed by a motley crew of players, centred around a genuine emerging talent. With that work ethic, he’ll either be a pop sensation in the near future, or he will be the malevolent dictator of the universe. Let’s hope it’s the former. Saturday 17.40 Mainstage
Shed Seven Named after a signal box just outside York station, Shed Seven were a key part of the Britpop movement of the mid 90s. But the Sheds were always a little different from the standard Britpop pack. Emerging from the post-Smiths scene of the early 90s their music was more complex than many of their bouncy counterparts. Their live shows, however have always been electric. With constant chart success, between 1994 and 1999 they had three top 10 albums and one top 20 album, spawning a massive thirteen consecutive top 40 singles including the modern classics “Getting Better”, “Going For Gold”, “Chasing Rainbows”, “She Left Me On Friday” and “Disco Down”. After relentless record company struggles, and despite a huge fan following, the band split up in 2003. Another four years of clear air and breathing room later, the guys reunited in 2007 for a short, fun Christmas comeback tour – which both sold out and received unexpected critical acclaim, making everyone remember why they loved Shed Seven in the first place. A collection of singles was released in 2008, and a major UK tour in 2009 yielded a download-only live album.
That Shed Seven are held in high regard by such a large and varied fanbase is proof of their classic songwriting, dynamite live shows, and enduring charm. Two decades since their formation in 1990, they’re stronger than ever. Anthemic, sing-along, joyful and exuberant. Saturday 21.20 Mainstage
Sing-a-Long-a-Grease (PG) You’d better shape up, because we need a man… or quite a few men and women to sing along to this classic family film. As part of the build up to the Rockabilly Grand Ball, bring your combs, wear your poodle skirts and, most importantly, bring your singing voices to join in with everyone’s favourite 50s-style musical. Monday 15.30 Mainstage
The Social Services Female-fronted, guitarless and strong on harmonies, TSS stand out from the crowd. The Swedish trio was formed in 2007 when the worst winter in 40 years hit Stockholm and kept the friends penned in an apartment with a handful of instruments from charity shops. There’s a theatrical edge to their live shows, which have been known to feature musical processions in animal masks, audience participation and guest musicians on cello, trumpet, monologue and nose flute. Swedish but living in Scotland, they peddle the kind of gorgeousness made popular by The Divine Comedy, Saint Etienne, Regina Spektor and Camera Obscura. Their debut album It’s Nothing Personal, It’s National Security was described by one reviewer as “somehow managing to find a golden path between dirty British realism and sugary sweet Swedish pop.” This mix has landed them live sessions on both BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music. Quirky loveliness. Saturday 15.00 Centaur
thebandwithnoname And now, the end is near, and so they’ve reached the final curtain… Yes it’s true: thebandwithnoname are shortly to be no more, and Greenbelt hosts the band’s penultimate gig. Formed by schools-work charity Innovation Trust in 2002, the band was originally nameless as a marketing tool for their launch. An online competition was set up for fans to name the fledgling group, but by the time the final selection came around 80% of the votes were to keep thebandwithnoname as it was. TBWNN have been through several line-up changes as talented members have moved on to solo projects, but the quality of their music, and their jaw-dropping live performances have only gone from strength to strength. Fusing rock, hip-hop and electronica with memorable pop hooks, weighty beats and spirit-filled lyrics that could make even the driest of bones dance, this is your last chance to catch a truly memorable UK band before they’re a sweet, nameless memory. Friday 18.00 Mainstage
The Rising The best singer-songwriters onsite. Some pertinent questions about their songwriting craft - how and why they write what they do. Some exclusive performances of their songs, and some well-chosen cover versions. And Martyn Joseph, one of the UK’s most electrifying performers, ringleading the whole event. Always different, always insightful, The Rising is a key Greenbelt event and should not be missed. Sunday 14.00 Big Top
The Rising Special – Celebrating Amos Trust’s 25th Anniversary In 1974 singer-songwriter Garth Hewitt performed at the first ever Greenbelt, soon becoming chair of the fledgling Festival. Eleven years later he formed the Amos Trust, a global human rights organisation ‘promoting justice and hope for forgotten communities’ across the world. In this special edition of The Rising, Martyn Joseph and his musical guests perform some of Garth’s songs, talk to those who’ve been inspired by his music and the work of Amos, and reflect with Garth on the power of song. Monday 11.15 Centaur
Ty Ty is a powerful voice in British hip-hop. London-born, this year he released his fourth album “Special Kind Of Fool”, featuring previous Greenbelt contributors Sway, Soweto Kinch and Vula. He’ll be joined on Mainstage on Friday by Vula and Sharlene Hector from Greenbelt 2009. Finding a love for hip-hop in the mid-80s after hearing Doug E Fresh and the Cookie Crew, Ty’s journey through his teens saw him mastering the wide range of B-Boy arts - breakdancing, producing, sound engineering, and delivering rhymes with a “witty ferocity”. He was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize after the release of his second album, Upward, gained him an international reputation. His amazing live shows landed him appearances with legends such as De La Soul, Tony Allen and Arrested Development, and he’s also worked alongside British acts Estelle, Talib Kweli, and the Scratch Perverts. Peppering his tracks with shrewd and often hilarious cultural references, political issues, and an empathetic sensitivity to people’s everyday experiences, Ty remains a unique and refreshing voice in hip-hop. Friday 19.05 Mainstage
56 Greenbelt 2010
Violet Burning With two decades of making music under their belts, The Violet Burning are still showing Christian bands how do it. Never comfortable in the American CCM stream, they continue to plough their own furrow creating beautiful, soulful and spiritual rock music for grown-ups.
Ty
Over their nine studio albums and countless live albums, spin-offs and collaborations, they have progressed from their origins within a Vineyard church to embrace full-throated rock. Still centred around the inspirational figure of Michael J Pritzl, it’s a privilege to welcome them back to Greenbelt following appearances throughout their career. With new recordings due for release soon, we’re excited to see what they have in store for their Mainstage set. Monday 17.25 Mainstage
Performance Café Agents of Future A chance to see if the dynamic energy of the Agents of Future can be contained by the walls of the Performance Café before their later Underground gig. Friday 19.00 Performance Café
Ana Silvera Ana Silvera has a stunning voice. Just thought we should point that out before we get any further. Classically trained, she made her BBC Radio 3 debut at age 13 wearing lederhosen and singing with the English National Opera. These days it’s her own, brilliantly written and beautifully arranged songs she sings, sometimes backed by the prestigious Santiago Quartet; which coincidentally got her back on Radio 3. This time without the lederhosen. Sunday 15.15 Performance Café
The Blue Green Collective
Hannah Atkins
Ugly Duckling Ugly Duckling are a classic hip-hop act. Born in the sunny climes of Long Beach, California in the mid 1990s, they took their name because they felt like outcasts in a scene dominated by the violence and posturing of gangsta rap. More comparable therefore to the jazz influenced music of De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, Ugly Ducking’s sound is centred around their amazing DJ, Young Einstein who uses complex but melody-rich samples and scratches, both pre-recorded and live. On the track Einstein Do It (Night On Scratch Mountain) from their most recent album, he mixes over 100 different cuts in a whirlwind 4 mins 30 seconds.
Their duo of MCs, Andy & Dizzy, are known for humourous and intelligent lyrics that make fun of the excesses of modern hip-hop, and its obsession with sex and materialism. The rhymes flow effortlessly between the pair, talking about love, hope, faith and culture in an always insightful and often hilarious way. Ugly Duckling’s hugely entertaining live shows are everything that you could ask for from a hip-hop group; amazing rapping, breathtaking DJ tricks and audience interaction. Friday 19.05 Mainstage
This new trio from right here in Cheltenham play lazy summer beats topped off with female vocals. A bit hip-hop, a bit jazz, and a lot lovely, with Liz’s beautiful vocals making for a handful of Portishead comparisons. Friday 18.00 Performance Café
Brown:Music Twins Natasha and Loretta earned their chops as session and backing singers for the likes of Sting, Diana Ross and Will Young. Joining forces with Malaysian born Johann Ting, they write and perform music that draws from their mixedrace heritages and recently supported Take That’s Beautiful World tour. It’s not simply white music – folk, acoustic, pop – or black music – R’n’B, soul, gospel - but a mix of it all, creating (you guessed it) Brown:Music. Friday 21.00 Performance Café
Music 57
De’Borah An African-British girl with a Hebrew name and a voice like Joni Mitchell, De’Borah is not your run-of-the-mill Croydon export, but that is where De’Borah grew up, surrounded by her musical family. With influences from Alicia Keys to Eva Cassidy, she’s a graduate of the Brits school and is definitely one to keep an eye on. See her at Greenbelt before she goes global, then brag about it to your friends. Monday 14.30 Performance Café
The Dodge Brothers Small-scale skiffle before the main event of the Rockabilly Ball.
a beautiful voice and a great talent for melody, her second album is poised for release, and Erin is fast becoming one of the most sought-after voices in the UK Christian music scene. Saturday 13.05 Performance Café
The Fancy Toys For those of you who missed them last year… what were you thinking? The Fancy Toys are everything that’s great about pop music. Jaunty, sunny, funny, sing-a-longable, brilliant to watch and by golly they’re handsome. Miss them at your peril.
Ellie Williams
Sunday 21.00 Performance Café
Monday 18.00 Performance Café
Flight Brigade Ellie Williams “Somewhere between Kate Bush and Coldplay” is a very good locator for Ellie Williams’ sound. If you throw in references to Sarah McClachlan and Tori Amos you’ll have a good idea of the excellence to expect when you hear Ellie. She sings about issues that affect all of us, from love and relationships to faith and loss, not so much tugging at the heartstrings as reaching inside and shaking them loose. Monday 15.15 Performance Café
Emily Davis Sweetly strong Australian singer songwriter Emily Davis has a powerful voice that’s ageing like good whisky. Inhabiting the outer edges of folk, pop, country and blues to tell her tales, she managed to instinctively employ the right balance of unashamed honesty and good humour. Monday 13.30 Performance Café
Erin Matthews Working as an outdoor instructor in the beauty of North Devon was a big inspiration to Erin Matthews, picking up the guitar her father had given her and writing her own songs. With
Built around the backbone of songwriter Oliver Baines, this south London group deliver memorable songs bursting with heartfelt energy. Moving from the USA to London, Baines teamed up first with violinist Dorry Hughes who infused his rock-pop songs with a beautiful folk sound that sets them apart from the rest of the indie crowd. Sunday 14.20 Performance Café
Garth Hewitt The first time Garth Hewitt played at Greenbelt was at the first ever Greenbelt and his simple yet passionate songs of faith and justice are woven into the festival’s heart. With a country-tinged new album, Moonrise, marking 25 years of Amos Trust, the human rights organisation he founded in 1985, he’s at his best; relaxed, poetic, humourous and prayerful. Sunday 22.00 Performance Café
Gentry Morris Beautiful Americana from this US-born Belfast resident. Having toured and recorded with Juliet Turner for the past couple of years, his new full-length album
The Fancy Toys
Awake O Sleeper is chock full of powerfully melodic songs that stay with you for days. Monday 11.30 Performance Café
Hannah Atkins Creating electroacoustic soundscapes in front of your very eyes with the help of loops, pedals and no shortage of talent, Hannah Atkins is fascinating to watch. She’s just as great to listen to, with her songs standing out through all the interesting production twists that come from the modern one-woman-band. Hannah is also a passionate social justice advocate, which is just the way we like ‘em at Greenbelt. Saturday 18.00 Performance Café
Harp For Hangovers Whether it was a long night in the Jesus Arms or your tent, Harp For Hangovers are the perfect relaxation for any festival. Reworking modern classics from Guns’n’Roses, Kings Of Leon, Radiohead and many more, the dulcet tones of harp and vocal will soothe your un-showered brow. Saturday 15.15 Performance Café
Harry Bird and the Rubber Wellies Bilbao and Dublin-based folksters Harry Bird and the Rubber Wellies have toured almost non-stop throughout Spain, Ireland and the UK with their intimate, rootsy performances spiced with joyful sing-a-long choruses and quirky
58 Greenbelt 2010
Solas Festival Presents: Jo Mango Jo Mango is pure class. Her voice and compositions are almost impossibly fragile, using sparse and sweet arrangements that could easily be the wrong kind of cute in another’s hands. While not working on her Music Phd, she has been spending most of her time as the mainstay of folk legend Vashti Bunyan’s touring band. Her second album, produced by nu-folk hero Adem, is due for release any minute now. Stunning. Saturday 16.00 Performance Café Marcus Bonfanti
Jon Gomm Jon Gomm is not a performing chimp. He is, though, a modern wiz of a one-man-band, producing sounds and beats with just the use of his voice and an acoustic guitar. No loops, no tricks, nothing up his sleeve, just a stack of talent and a voice to remember. Sunday 17.00 Performance Café
Megson
circus rhythms. Their debut album, a homegrown collection of songs exploring faith, love and displacement in a world of contradictions has already picked up plays on BBC Radio 2. Monday 12.30 Performance Café
Jack Cleverly The French have always made brilliant contributions to human culture; Impressionism, the writings of Voltaire, haute cuisine, and now electro-pop marvel Jack Cleverly. Jack’s creations bubble with crackling drums and flowing synths, cradling delicate folk guitar lines that provide the backdrop for disarmingly affecting lyrics that never border on twee. Sunday 13.25 Performance Café
Jars of Clay An intimate gig from the Mainstage performers. Sunday 18.00 Performance Café
Lou Rhodes Following her appearance in Centaur, experience the hushed, late night acoustic performance from Lamb’s leading lady. Saturday 21.00 Performance Café
Lovers Electric A quieter, more acoustic set from David and Eden before they bring their explosive electropop to Mainstage. Saturday 13.55 Performance Café
Justin Grounds
Loz Bridge Loz Bridge sings about witches lurking by the fax machine. About waking up half a mile under the ocean surrounded by blue whales and the awful things that live down by the river. He makes dark, intelligent music for people who like to listen. His bluesy roots style has landed him support slots with the likes of David Ford and Fionn Regan and an increasing number of radio plays.
Saturday 12.15 Performance Café
Sunday 20.00 Performance Café
Monday 16.05 Performance Café
Electro-acoustic troubadour Justin Grounds pulls on his varied music education in baroque violin and drum’n’bass to create ethereal and pulsating folky soundscapes. Returning to Greenbelt after wooing and wowing festivalgoers last year, with a new album The Dissolving.
Jim Jones More than just another man with a guitar and a decent voice, Jim Jones’ latest album Daylight and Stars was awarded a rare four stars in Q magazine, and Mojo placed it in their top 10 albums for July. Not bad for a self-released, home produced album from a small corner of South West England! Weighty and pleasing Americana.
Lindsey Cleary Taking a page from Marillion’s book, Lindsey launched her POP project in late 2008, asking fans to invest in the making of her debut album in return for a share of the profits. Taking segments at a time, she raised over £12k in just five months. Her passionate pop vocals over guitar-driven tracks echo Natalie Imbruglia and Stevie Nicks.
Solas Festival Presents: Kitty The Lion Starting out life as singersongwriter Anna Meldrum, Kitty The Lion became full grown with the addition of four other cats on upright bass, drums, mandolin and guitar. A string of support slots with Duke Special and the release of their debut single in late 2009 led to Kitty The Lion being named as onesto-watch in 2010 by BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio Scotland. Sunday 16.00 Performance Café
Monday 17.00 Performance Café
Lucky Elephant Another chance to see the quirky charms of the summery sensations, up close, personal and under twinkly lights. After their earlier Big Top gig. Monday 19.00 Performance Café
Music 59
Marcus Bonfanti Marcus Bonfanti describes his sound as “Pirate Rock” and what’s not to like about that? This is growling blues from north London, rightly full of all the glorious highs and lows of life. Blisteringly soulful guitar played over ramshackle drums with all the attitude you’d hope for from a man with hair (and talent) the Kings Of Leon would be jealous of. Monday 21.00 Performance Café
Megson Dubbed “the most original duo on the British folk scene” by The Guardian and “simply brilliant” by The Sunday Express, this award-nominated pair are the cream of the crop. The husband and wife team from the north-east have wowed folk fans and critics alike with their last two albums and they’ve recently sold out their extensive tour. Frequently listed in The Independent’s ‘5 Gigs To See’ section, you’d be foolish to miss them. Friday 22.00 Performance Café
Michael McDermott Michael McDermott is in possession of one of those classic rock voices, and isn’t afraid to use it. Drawing on influences from Bob Dylan and Van Morrison the Irish American is another dysfunctional prophet who spins stories so brilliantly through his songs that they’re old friends by the end of the first hearing. He is, in short, extraordinarily good. Saturday 20.00 Performance Café
Nils Olav Nils Olav creates enchanting and intimate music that will spark your imagination and cheer your heart. Original stories, fables and fairytales are put to song and brought to life with the sounds of the tenor guitar, dulcitone, music box, glockenspiel and the odd tweet of birdsong. With a record
on its way featuring Gabi Froden of Foreign Slippers, Paul Pilot and the Iskra String Quartet, get yourself a cup of tea, a slice of cake and enjoy. Saturday 19.00 Performance Café
Paddy Milner This piano virtuoso is definitely using his powers for good rather than evil with his jazz/ ska versions of rock and hip-hop classics. Way more than just a cabaret act, his original songs are equally as entertaining, impressive and memorable as his genius London BoogieWoogie version of Jay Z’s Big Pimping. Amazing. Monday 22.00 Performance Café
Peter Bruntnell Being dubbed “one of England’s best kept music secrets” by rock bible Rolling Stone is both a blessing and a curse for Peter Bruntnell. Releasing a couple of mellifluous and introspective albums in the heart of the Britpop era didn’t raise the west-coast singer to stardom for sure, but word is finally starting to get out. With fans in Peter Buck, Kurt Wagner and Mark Eizel, Peter is supporting American Music Club on a string of UK dates in the autumn. Sunday 19.00 Performance Café
Stephen Langstaff Being the first unsigned singer-songwriter to headline the main room at Liverpool’s O2 Academy is just one of the honours Stephen Langstaff has tucked under his belt. He’s toured extensively around the UK and collected screaming fans along the way who know every word of his Buckleyesque musings. Friday 20.00 Performance Café
The Social Services More playful and bittersweet theatrics from the innovative Swedes as a Sunday lunchtime treat. Also playing Mainstage. Sunday 12.30 Performance Café
Thomas Truax Seeing Thomas Truax live is as much about the spectacle as it is about the music. Utterly incomparable to any other artist, and one of the few who truly deserves the title, his collection of homemade instruments look as though they’ve been plucked straight from the mind of Tim Burton. Loops, guitars, and lashings of imagination make this a show you’ll never forget. Saturday 22.00 Performance Café
[verb]swish [verb]swish is a “rhythmic wordsmith”. His sound is nicely described as spoken soul, or neo-poetry for music lovers. The poetry may definitely be at the forefront, dripping with wisdom spun into wonderful rhymes, but the music is far from an afterthought. Each poem flows over ethereal, funky backdrops of genuinely lovely and brilliantly performed music. Saturday 17.00 Performance Café
Will René Crooned over jangling guitar, mournful harmonica and chuggingly hopeful drums, Will René plays country death songs. His tracks are inspired by, among other things, the frustration of living in a sleepy town, the beauty and sadness of human life and cannibalism. Don’t be afraid though, “I only want to make you smile!” he says. We can pretty much guarantee he’ll get his wish. Monday 20.00 Performance Café
Underground Agents of Future Puppet-wielding worship collective Agents of Future are joyful, uninhibited and ramshackle. Hailing from the DIY haven of Portland, Oregon, this is their second year at Greenbelt. An Agents of Future gig is inclusive and energetic, and as far removed from CCM formulaic music as Prince is from Prince Charles. Yes, it’s rough and ready, but it’s heartfelt, trading gloss for passionate participation. Let your guard down, and get involved. Resistance is futile. Friday 21.00 Underground
Baby Blue One of the top female rappers coming out of London, Baby Blue has featured on tracks by Estelle, Madness, Ms Dynamite and others. Having spent time honing her own sound which fuses grime, hip-hop and pop, 2010 is looking like the year for stepping out on her own. A rare talent. Sunday 22.00 Underground
BeBe Vox A Welsh girl with huge hair and a phenomenal voice who is dishing up fantastic pop tracks à la Lady Gaga. Fun Fact: BeBe also got a first in her graphic design degree at university so she’s not just a pretty face. Sunday 12.30 Underground
Belleville Offering memorable melodies and thoughtful lyrics delivered with sensitive musicianship, Belleville are having a good 2010. A year on from the release of their debut EP they’re keeping busy with a string of festival appearances. Saturday 17.30 Underground
60 Greenbelt 2010
Blake Not to be confused with the “catalogue model choristers” who pinched his name, Blake wrote his first album in a bedsit here in Cheltenham back in 2003. Blake’s feel-good sound combines sweaty RnB with folkrock and 60s pop. Sunday 13.30 Underground
The Cut Ups Prepare yourself to enjoy some old school punk-rock that hasn’t been tarted-up and sold back to us by a big record company. Angst, loud distorted guitars and well-read political lyrics that only work when shouted. Bring your own attitude. Friday 19.00 Underground
Danny and the Champions of the World Another chance to see Danny and his pals headline in a latenight and intimate environment. Also appearing on Mainstage. Saturday 21.45 Underground
Extra Curricular With sweet and funky grooves provided by a tight band, dazzling soul, and jazz vocals, and awesome rapping by a World Champion MC, you could be forgiven for thinking that Extra Curricular come from New York or California. That they’re from the hip-hop haven of Huddersfield makes them even more remarkable. The nine-piece live band are fronted by MC Jack Flash, Classic FM Jazz Scholarship winner Ruby Wood, and Zimbabwean soul singer Thabo Mkwananzi. Sunday 20.45 Underground
Filthy Funk Project Fresh out of Camden, the Filthy Funk Project is a nine piece amalgamation of friends who have played with each other in various forms throughout the past few years. With covers,
original funk and reggaeinspired numbers (plus one song inspired by the Countdown theme!), there is no doubt they will have you dancing from start to finish. Sunday 15.30 Underground
The Floe Brimming with tales of love, heartache, longing and hope, The Floe’s sound is built on a solid foundation of delicate melodies, soaring vocals and passionate lyrics that melt the heart. Sunday 19.30 Underground
[verb]swish
Grace Banks and the Band The quivering voice of Grace Banks suits her soul-edged folk songs beautifully. Full of sweetness and light they will transport you to your happy place in a few short songs. Monday 17.30 Underground
GreenJade Firmly established as Greenbelt favourites and now on their final tour, GreenJade are one of the UK’s premier tru-skool hip-hop groups. Judah, Wizdom, Wei, 3rd Son and Secret have been ripping up stages for a decade, with the sole purpose of bringing the message of truth through music into the lives of the young and the young at heart.
Baby Blue
Hannah and the Boy
Knew Jeru’slum
Hakuna Pesa
Peddling modern folk music that certainly won’t send you to sleep, Hannah and The Boy (known to his friends as John) return to Greenbelt after winning fans last year. Their second EP will follow closely on the festival’s heels.
“Straight Outta Huddersfield, Halifax and Bradford” is not something you hear often in hiphop, but Knew Jeru’slum are more than just a clever name. They offer classy rhymes and slick beats that are well worth checking out.
Bridging the gap between joyous party band and heart-onthe-sleeve political activists, Hakuna Pesa are described as a “200mph collision of The Maytals, Gogol Bordello, Sublime and The Clash”. This multinational collective embrace ska, African sounds and jazzy brass, and raise money for Kenyan street kids as they go.
Monday 21.15 Underground
Sunday 18.30 Underground
judyshouse
Luke Leighfield
This seven-piece jazz and soul band all met while studying at the Birmingham Conservatoire. A widely talented bunch, they are fast making a name for themselves around the Midlands and have supported Greenbelt favourite Soweto Kinch.
Straight from Mainstage Mr Leighfield rocks the Underground with his unique blend of power-piano-pop.
Sunday 14.15 Underground
Sunday 17.30 Underground
Sunday 16.30 Underground
Saturday 20.30 Underground
Music 61
M1 Connect
Sounds of Salvation
Vandeville Falls
M1 Connect are the Cuthew brothers (Martin and Stewart) and they are here to play you their brand of electro-rock. They write about the human condition but “without losing sight of what beauty there is in the simple little things” with Electro Emo Elegance.
Christian ska is a sadly overlooked genre, but SoS are a high-octane, ten-piece band hoping to rectify that. SoS play original material, alongside ska versions of old-school hymns and worship music. Funny, passionate, up-tempo and inspirational, SoS will be playing songs from their joyful new album S’ka Gje.
Armed with an acute perception of love, loss and longing, this female-fronted trio tell stories with a timeless melancholy. Classic hooks and compelling vocals reinvent the concept of the modern ballad.
Friday 18.00 Underground
The Momeraths Branding themselves as Kid-Folk, The Momeraths (named after a line in Jabberwocky) are cute but not cloying. Wonderfully happy indie music from Kingston-UponThames, these guys are set to break big. Discover them first! Saturday 19.30 Underground
The Mustangs The Mustangs are celebrating their 10th year together with three nominations at the British Blues Awards, including the prestigious Best Band Award. Playing alongside the likes of Dr Feelgood and Ruby Turner, this is R’n’B in its traditional form, rather than the new pants-on-the-ground variety. Monday 20.15 Underground
Shadow Orchestra
Monday 11.00 Underground
The Stagger Rats If you’re not sure what Gypsy Death Funk is then The Stagger Rats will teach you. Part rockabilly, part blues, part folk and part nonsense, with a healthy Scots accent and all wrapped up in sharp suits this rapidly upcoming band will delight you. Friday 22.00 Underground
Surrey Diggers Traditional folk, spotted along the way with sea shanties, reggae and punk, Matt and Dan are picking up ardent fans among Big Issue sellers and shoppers as they busk their way to fame and fortune. Monday 11.45 Underground
Shadow Orchestra combine cello, harp, drums, vocals, keyboards and programmed beats to create exquisitely mellow electronica. Landing somewhere between 20th century classical music, pre-fusion jazz and early dance music they’re hard to describe but amazing to hear/watch.
Honoured as The Independent’s Band Of The Week in February, The Standards promise to provide instant pop classics performed with energy, vitality and bare-faced cheek. Very catchy indeed.
Monday 18.15 Underground
Saturday 18.30 Underground
The Standards
Sleepy Vole
Toxic Federation
Former frontman of renowned Scottish underground rock act Indafusion, Sleepy Vole plays wonderfully melodic pop music with just an electric guitar, a fuzz pedal, and an awesome set of mutton-chop sideburns. Our kind of one-man-band.
Both worryingly handsome and terrifyingly young this classic metal band from the Midlands has everything it needs really crack the rock scene: Talent, enthusiasm, refreshingly hooky melodies, and really long hair. Prepare to mosh.
Saturday 16.45 Underground
Friday 20.00 Underground
Monday 19.15 Underground
Solas Festival Presents: We See Lights Part of “the Scottish nu-folk revolution” alongside bands like Frightened Rabbit, expect big choruses, lo-fi grit and Caledonian charm. With their self-funded album Ghosts & Monsters released earlier this year, the band hit Greenbelt fresh from appearances at T In The Park, the Isle of Wight Festival and Solas. Monday 22.15 Underground
Meltdown 100 Philistine Foreskins Like a falling piano just missing a group of passing nuns, experiences of 100PFS tend to be a loud, messy and generally undignified spectacle. Their pathalogically low attention spans mean that songs rarely breach the two minute mark and deal with a variety of subjects that affect them... faith and life, God and monsters, thoughts and ignorance. Awesome. Saturday 14.00 Underground
A.N.D. From the metal heartland of the Midlands, and initially signed to German labels (another lot who love their metal) A.N.D. have been around for nearly 20 years. Built around the talents and faith of front-man Paul May, A.N.D. recently reformed and plan to release a new album early next year. Monday 14.30 Underground
Catapults Meeting through a local church youth group, Catapults are a passionate 5 piece band inspired by the 90s screamo scene and bands like La Quiete, Raein and Funeral Diner. Keeping all the aggression and energy of hardcore, their introspective compositions still pulse strongly with emotion and melody. Saturday 15.20 Underground
Conduit Somehow managing to combine peacefulness with aggression and calmness with vicious energy come Conduit. Also combining great melodies with screaming hardcore, they promise to take you by the scruff of your neck and usher you into an encounter with your creator. Scary and exciting. Saturday 16.00 Underground
62 Greenbelt 2010
Eden Wakes Spreading a positive message in the heaviest way possible are Eden Wakes, a four-piece metal band. With energy, passion and some virtuosic playing this is metal of the growliest, shoutiest and brilliant-est variety. Bring ear plugs and a neck brace and go nuts. Monday 12.30 Underground
Firefalldown Firefalldown are a FilipinoBritish threepiece, who bring a melodic edge to their hardcore style. Having met playing in a worship band in a London church, Firefalldown set out to bring the death-metal history of their drummer together with the funkier influences of their bassist. Soulful and striking, they’ve found a satisfying blend of Faith No More and Green Day with which to rock the Underground… Saturday 14.40 Underground
Malokai The group most likely to succeed to thebandwithnoname’s throne, Malokai are four young guys who play sing-a-long alternative rock music. Unabashedly out there to get the Gospel message heard they’ve been playing all sorts of venues around the UK and are well known for getting a crowd into a joyous frenzy. Monday 13.10 Underground
Many Falls With their energetic progressive rock and their huge live performances Many Falls have been making faces grin and ears bleed for several years now. Their mix of brutal metal rhythms and melodic vocals should please both hardcore and alternative fans alike. Monday 13.50 Underground
Fresh Talent Dining With James Classy, well performed, inventive and fun indie rock from a young British four-piece isn’t particularly surprising. When you realise that the average age of Dining With James is fourteen it brings a certain something else to the party. Miles better than the best act at the school talent show, these guys won a lot of fans at last year’s Fresh Talent afternoon and are back for more. Saturday 13.15 Underground
diverse influences, from Paramore to Mumford & Sons. Saturday 12.30 Underground
Innocent Conflict Just ‘cause they’re young and have played at Disneyland Paris doesn’t make them Justin Bieber. They’ve also played at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, and has Bieber done that? No. Indie rock inspired by Blink 182, Foo Fighters and Billy Talent, they have just hooked up with Roadrunner Records. Saturday 11.45 Underground
Dubb
Intensi T
Harry Baker is Dubb, a positive and punchy lyricist, bringing edgy UK hip-hop sounds to the Fresh Talent programme with songs from his debut album Rhythm & Poetry, with its slick production from Jon Birch and beatboxing from TYTE. Listen out for some excellent shout-outs to Ealing, surely the Compton of West London.
At the age of 17 Beat Box virtuoso Intensi T has already firmly established himself in the UK urban music scene. Creating sounds from his mouth that you wouldn’t think were possible with the human voice, he has appeared on stage alongside hip-hop legends such as Shlomo, Mr E, and Sway. Monday 15.15 Underground
Monday 15.45 Underground
Stereo Influence Faded Cadence Two teenage boys and two teenage girls from Birmingham, Faded Cadence are a goodlooking band! They’re also talented, bright and honest and their music has an emotional and professional maturity that belies their young age. Mixing acoustic and electronics with violins and guitars, they’re quietly picking up favourable reviews from Q magazine and Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music as well as the local press. Monday 16.45 Underground
Hero Next Door Powerful and passionate, Hero Next Door play pop-punk, and are formed around the core of Beckie (lead singer), Lucas (guitar) and Ben (drums). Based in Wiltshire, the trio have toured widely and their music reflects
Rough and ready garage rock from the backyards of Cheltenham, Stereo Influence are a big hit around these parts. They blend bouncy, energetic guitar and catchy choruses that get the crowd going every time. Monday 16.15 Underground
The Flying Dinosaurs Folk-rock that’s actually equal parts folk and rock, not just rocky folk or folky rock. With all six members contributing songs into The Flying Dinosaurs pot the styles are varied but cohesive, and the rawness of the sound is not indicative of lack of talent, but authenticity of roots. Saturday 11.00 Underground
Club While the majority of festivalgoers bed down for the night, Underground is transformed into a club giving nocturnal Greenbelters the chance to dance into the wee small hours.
Detox Sessions For the opening of the festival we are joined by DJ Detox, the Bristol-based champion of dubstep, drum ‘n’ bass and anything else with a disruptively low frequency that’ll make you wiggle back into the wombstate to ponder the mysteries of space. Friday 23.15 Underground
Hackney Globe Trotter Whether you’re a seasoned traveller or just beginning your journey in global beats, join peerless DJ and rhythm curator Russ Jones who will take you on a dancefloor tour of afro-beat, Latin, ska, cumbia and funk. Sunday 00.30 Underground
Silent Disco Imagine a club where there is not a peep from the loudspeakers. Instead, you and your fellow revellers are given a pair of headphones each with an invisible FM connection to two DJs battling to get you listening to their channel. You dance yourself dizzy to the hottest soul, pop, indie and rock ‘n’ roll anthems – and may even find yourself singing out loud. Silent Disco is a bizarre and wonderful communal experience. A first for Greenbelt. Sunday 22.45 Underground
RoboDisco Back by popular demand, RoboDisco brings you crisp electro and machine funk goodness from vintage Street Sounds to Detroit and rounds off the festival in fine style. Monday 23.15 Underground
Music 63
Panels DIY or Die With cheap technology and social networks, there’s never been a better time than now for wannabe stars to venture out on their own. But how do you go about it? Find out from our panel of fiercely independent artists: Steve Lawson, Vince Millett, Luke Leighfield, Jon from the Cut Ups and MOBO winning rapper Victizzle. Saturday 15.45 Sovereign Lounge
Music & Activism Can music really change the world? If yes, then how? Artists from the Music Speaks record label join artists Garth Hewitt and Dan Haseltine from Jars of Clay to discuss the relationship between music and social activism. Monday 15.00 Festival Bowl
Workshops Biog Clinic Whether you’re just starting out as an artist, or have been around for a while, a badly written biog and press pack can do your image a lot of harm. In this workshop, veteran music journalist and radio DJ Mike Rimmer shows you how to create the sort of biog and press pack that gets your music played and your band written about. Saturday 15.30 Workshops 2
not forgetting the hand-crafted acoustic numbers to make you laugh, cry or think. Bring your instruments, jam along to the traditional songs, but most of all bring your songs and your joyfulness. Friendly audience members also warmly welcome, especially those who like to sing along! Saturday 10.00-12.00 Winged Ox Saturday 10.00-12.00 Winged Ox
Junk Music Workshop Here’s one way to make recycling fun: turn your old junk into musical instruments and play them! Join Seven Stars Agency’s imaginative crew for an afternoon of creative fun transforming unwanted recycled rubbish into amazing sound machines. This workshop combines rhythm, and funk and covers a range of group games, urban dance moves and performances. Guaranteed to be better than a mass vuvuzela recital. Saturday 15.00 Arena
Writing Songs for Children In his native Australia, Peter Combe is something of a phenomenon. He’s had seven gold and two platinum albums in a 20-year career singing for one of the toughest audiences known to man: children. If you want to learn how to write songs that appeal to children, who better to ask than Australia’s “King of the Kids”? Come and hear him share his secrets. Saturday 17.30 Workshops 1
Folk Club Valuing the contribution of enthusiastic amateurs over professionals, anyone can participate in Folk Club to stand up, sing or play their song. Completely acoustic by design, the sessions host all forms of folk and unamplified song, whether it be an old Negro spiritual, sea shanty, Irish ballad, or a Bob Dylan number,
Classical Reflections on the Messiah The Messiah is one of the greatest achievements in western art, with some of the most beautiful and recognisable melodies in classical music. Reflections on the Messiah combines extracts from Handel’s masterpiece with complementary pieces by Tavener, Gorecki, Arvo Part, and others. The work breaks down into three parts – representing Birth, Passion and Resurrection – containing Handel’s life story of Christ, and also modern reexaminations of similar themes. Jason Thornton The performance is conducted by Jason Thornton, the Music Director of the Bath Philharmonia. Jason has worked nationally and internationally with some of the finest orchestral ensembles, including the Royal Philharmonic and the City of London Sinfonia. Patricia Rozario Soprano is Patricia Rozario’s wide concert and opera repertoire includes pieces written especially for her by several of the world’s leading composers, including Part and Tavener. She was awarded the Asian Women’s Award for Achievement in the Arts in 2002 and an OBE in 2001. Saturday 21.00 Centaur
Listen 2 Us Listen 2 Us is a six-month project involving young people from the Bath and Wilts areas who are caring for other family members. The group have been meeting weekly with several professional musicians from Bath Philharmonia to create music and songs together in an informal environment with the goal of sharing this music with a wider audience. Some of the young people already play instruments and others are new to this process altogether.
The performance is a moving and varied programme of new music, songs, chants and raps created by the young carers . These lively and honest pieces express various aspects of their daily lives prepare to enjoy an unforgettable journey with The Spaghetti Groove, Dreams, Chores and Time to be You, to name but a few. Saturday 14.00 Big Top
Children’s Scratch Choir The Greenbelt Children’s Choir returns for more fun, actions, community, and of course, great singing. In addition to their own performance, the Greenbelt Children’s Choir will be taking part in the communion service. Singing is a great way to channel all that extra festival energy too! Rehearsals Saturday 10.30 Workshops 2 Saturday 14.00 Workshops 1 Sunday 13.00 Mainstage Performance Sunday 10.00 Communion Monday 10.00 Mainstage
Youth Scratch Choir After a year off, Greenbelt are delighted to welcome back the Greenbelt Youth Scratch Choir. With a wide variety of music including pop, rock, and gospel, you can be sure to enjoy a lively time, with energetic rehearsals, high-quality performance, and maybe even a little “Glee”! Rehearsal Saturday 19.00 Workshops 1 Sunday 19.00 Workshops 1 Performance Monday 11.30 Mainstage
Adult Scratch Choir Open to all with a passion for singing, the Greenbelt Scratch Choir will this year be taking part in the communion service. Alongside preparing music for the communion service, the Scratch Choir will enjoy vocal workshop ideas, in an informal setting. Places are limited for this popular group. Rehearsals (including sign up) Friday 20.00 Workshops 1 Saturday 10.00 Mainstage Performance Sunday 10.00 Communion
64 Greenbelt 2010
talks. Voices from the world over – north, south, east and west. In all corners of Greenbelt, it’s time to listen, learn, question, wrestle, and mull. To be overwhelmed, in a good way. To hear words that could change your life and thinking. Drink it in and live it out. Or try to. Just a little bit.
Abdul-Rehman Malik
Abe Hayeem
Abdul-Rehman Malik is a journalist and educator, working for the Guardian after a career in Canada. He is the senior project manager for the Radical Middle Way, a community-led initiative that encourages critical civic participation and the values of public service, mercy and social justice among young British Muslims.
Abe Hayeem is an architect and writer. An Iraqi Jew born in India, he is a founder member of Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine, which campaigns against the building of illegal settlements.
Does Big Society Need Big Religion? David Cameron’s new vision of Big Society – civility, neighbourliness, community action, giving a helping hand – sounds an awful lot like good old-fashioned religion. What do the faithful make of their values showing up in a policy document? A spirited discussion on what faith can do and mean in a Con-Dem age. Sunday 12.30 Festival Bowl
Clare Short
Jerusalem: Will it ever be a city of peace? The UN has declared that, for peace to work in the Middle East, Jerusalem needs to be a shared capital. At a time when this seems some way off, what can we do to encourage harmony among the city’s religions? Saturday 16.00 Galilee
Talks 65
Andrew Rumsey Andrew Rumsey is a vicar in south London. Described by Ian Hislop as “witty, erudite, eloquent and thoughtful” his latest book, Strangely Warmed, is a satirical salvo at the church he loves. Andrew’s writing regularly appears in Third Way magazine and at ship-of-fools.com. The last bus home Nostalgia was once a medical condition to be treated with leeches; now we treat the nostalgic to a magazine series that throws in a free binder. Andrew Rumsey asks why the “longing for home” has become a therapy rather than a symptom and wonders whether Christian belief offers a cure. Monday 10.00 Festival Bowl
Brian Klug Brian Klug is senior research fellow in Philosophy at St Benet’s Hall, Oxford, and an honorary fellow of the Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/Non-Jewish Relations at Southampton University. He is the author of Offence: The Jewish Case, and his new book Being Jewish and Doing Justice is due in October. Being Jewish, doing justice and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Israel is frequently attacked by advocates of human rights and social justice. Critics who are Jewish find themselves desribed by some fellow Jews as “traitors” or “self-hating”. Brian Klug argues that such critics are not turning against their Jewish identity: on the contrary, they are turning towards it. Saturday 14.00 Bethlehem
Bruce Kent Bruce Kent is a peace campaigner, active in Pax Christi, CND (of which he has been chair), the Movement for the Aboilition of War and the International Peace Bureau. He is a former Roman Catholic parish priest and university chaplain.
A Christian challenge to Britain’s war culture Britain’s approach to international issues such as global terrorism and nuclear disarmament has been characterised as confrontational and self-serving. Bruce Kent will be exploring how a Christian commitment to peacemaking and justice can lead us towards alternative and more equitable solutions. Saturday 17.30 Jerusalem
Bulelwa Mandi Ngantweni-Hewitt Bulelwa Mandi NgantweniHewitt is the head of public relations at Umthombo Street Children. Bulelwa grew up on a rubbish dump in South Africa before running to the streets and living as a street child. She has been heralded as one of Standard Bank’s Women of the Year in South Africa and honoured by Cosmopolitan magazine. In conversation with Simon Mayo Talking of her journey from rubbish dumps, to setting up the Umthombo street children’s charity, to motherhood. Sunday 14.30 Bethlehem
The Butchers Ruth Anthony is a Londonbased jeweller, engraver and cook. Saga Arpino is a Royal College of Art trained glass artist raised and living in London. Michael Salmon has worked for a decade as a graphic designer but begins his training as a vicar in September. Butchering community “The Butchers” bought a lamb at Smithfield market, butchered it on their dining table, cooked and served it for lunch, sharing with friends each Sunday of Lent. Come and hear what motivated the project, discuss the issues around the meat industry and help us reflect on the experience. Sunday 13.30 Sovereign Lounge
Chris Elliot
Cole Moreton
Chris Elliott, secretary for external relationships in the Methodist Church in Britain is a New Zealand Londoner. She is fully committed to participating in God’s mission and working with others to engage hearts and minds in seeking justice, mercy and acting in love. She has worked within the British Methodist church for 19 years.
Cole Moreton is an awardwinning journalist, author and broadcaster. He writes for the Guardian, the Sunday Times magazine and the Mail On Sunday, and appears on radio programmes for the BBC. His first book was shortlisted for the prestigious John Llewellyn Rhys prize. His latest is Is God Still An Englishman? How We Lost Our Faith (But Found New Soul).
Embracing the deep: God thoughts from Oceania Come and explore concepts from Oceania to help us engage with the enormity of God’s creation. Hear about Moana (ocean), Fenua (land), Turangawaewae (standing place of strength), Talanoa (speaking and listening openly), and how we can use these to enrich our understanding of God. Monday 10.00 Galilee
Clare Short Clare Short was MP for Birmingham Ladywood from 1983 until she stood down before this year’s election. She was secretary of state for international development from 1997, but resigned from the Blair Government over the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She has continued to campaign on Palestine and the wider Middle East, international development and sustainability. Lobbying parliament on Israel/Palestine Many people in Britain agree that the suffering and injustice being inflicted on the Palestinian people is deeply wrong, yet the political elite follows a US policy that colludes in Israel’s breaches of international law. Clare Short will share her experience of 23 years in the House of Commons, and six years in the Cabinet, to help us improve our lobbying effectiveness. Sunday 12.00 Jerusalem
How we lost our faith but found new soul In the first of two talks based on his new book, Cole Moreton reveals how money, sex and power struggles have finally killed off the God who ruled Britain for centuries – and why we should all be celebrating. Saturday 16.00 Jerusalem
How Jade and Leona helped us find new soul From the funeral of the Big Brother star to the final of X Factor, Cole Moreton finds a surprising amount to celebrate in who we are now, and what we believe in. Could it be that God isn’t dead, She has just regenerated? Sunday 12.00 Bethlehem
Dave Andrews Dave and Ange Andrews have lived and worked with marginalised people in Asia and Australia for nearly four years. They started Aashiana, Sahara and Sharan, three well-known community organisations working with slum dwellers, sex workers, drug addicts and people with HIV/AIDS in India. They are currently working alongside Aborigines, refugees and people with disabilities in Brisbane Australia. Dave has written many books, including Christi-Anarchy, Not Religion But Love, People Of Compassion and Plan Be. Scrap Plan A, try Plan Be Our world is in trouble because in a crisis we resort to Plan A, treating others as they treat us.
66 Greenbelt 2010
Dave and Ange Andrews explore how we can reverse this cycle by trying Plan Be, treating others as we would like them to treat us. Saturday 14.30 Jerusalem
The Be-Attitude revolution The Beatitudes describe the kingdom of heaven as a place where the meek inherit the earth, the merciful receive mercy, those who hunger for justice are fulfilled and peacemakers walk proudly as sons and daughters of God. Find out how to start a Be-Attitude revolution by incarnating the kingdom of heaven on earth. Sunday 14.30 Jerusalem
Be the change campaign The exciting story of Dave and Ange Andrews’ campaign for us to be the change we want to see in the world (wecan.be). Discover how you can be part of it. Monday 14.30 Galilee
Dilwar Hussain & Bishop Tim Stevens Dilwar Hussain is the head of the Policy Research Centre, based at the Islamic Foundation. His research interests include Islam in the modern world and British Muslim identity. Bishop Tim Stevens was appointed the Bishop of Leicester in 1999. He is a member of the House of Lords, the Archbishop’s Council and Standing Committee of the House of Bishops. Surviving as a religious minority, can Christians cope? Leicester is the first majority ethnic minority city in the UK, but it won’t be the last. Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, and Dilwar Hussain of the Islamic Foundation discuss what their city has to teach us all about how different faiths can live together in Britain today. Saturday 10.45 Big Top
Donald Reeves Donald Reeves is the director and founder of the Soul of Europe, which works to ensure a peaceful resolution to conflicts, particularly in the Balkans. Donald is an Anglican priest, fhe former Rector of St James’s Piccadilly. His latest book is an autobiography, Memoirs of a Very Dangerous Man. Peacebuilding is not for wimps Peacebuilding is a countercultural activity not often welcomed by the international community or local religious leaders. This session looks at the processes involved in bringing Bosnian Muslim survivors of the killing camp at Omarska together with Bosnian Serbs.
Donald Reeves
Saturday 18.15 Bethlehem
Eliacin Rosario-Cruz Eliacin Rosario-Cruz and his family are part of The Mustard Seed House, a neo-monastic community in Seattle. There they facilitate conversations about alternative living, autonomous movements, spiritual formation, home education, intentional community, new monasticism, homegrown revolution and subversive Christianity. Cultivating liberated spaces Exploring the ways in which we can create liberated spaces to break down occupation, resist assimilation and create alternatives. What structures within our society get in the way of the Kingdom of God? And how can we realistically embody the God(space) alternative? Saturday 17.30 Galilee
Abrigando esperanzas Abrigando esperanzas is a Spanish term for sheltering hope. Eliacin will talk about movements of hope in Latin America and how their values and practices demonstrate active and incarnational ways to co-create spaces of hope and transformation. Sunday 15.00 Hebron
Janey Lee Grace
Fiona Joseph
Gareth Higgins
Fiona Joseph writes educational textbooks, short fiction and biography. She is a recent graduate of the National Academy of Writing. Her latest project, Little B, tells the life story of Beatrice Cadbury, the radical daughter of the Cadbury chocolate manufacturer.
Gareth Higgins is a writer, film critic, broadcaster, and the executive director of the Wild Goose Festival, a Greenbeltinspired gathering in the US. He has worked as an academic and activist in the field of peace and reconciliation for several years.
Celebrating Beatrice Cadbury: the radical Quaker Why did the chocolate manufacturer’s daughter try to donate her inherited fortune to the Cadbury workers? This session will follow Beatrice Cadbury’s journey from respectable Quaker girl to radical anti-capitalist campaigner attempting her own form of the redistribution of wealth. Saturday 17.00 Sovereign Lounge
Cinematic States: A Journey Through the American Dreamlife Gareth Higgins watched one movie from each of the 50 US states and the resulting book, Cinematic States, reveals movies to be the first draft of the US national myth, rooting the country in ancient ideas about identity, and predicting the future of the still-dominant empire. Saturday 21.30 Bethlehem
Talks 67
Giles Fraser
Ian Mobsby
James Wood
Giles Fraser is canon chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral. He is a regular presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day and a contributor to The Guardian.
Ian Mobsby is an ordained priest missioner for the Moot community, an emerging new monastic and fresh expression of Church in the City of London. He is also an associate missioner of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Fresh Expressions Team.
James created BBC2’s sitcom hit Rev with its star Tom Hollander. He had previously created Freezing, a sitcom also starring Hollander, and has several new projects in development with the BBC and Channel 4. He has also written his first play – Long & Short – for the Donmar Warehouse.
The English Civil War and the future of the Church of England. The Church of England was transformed by the experience of the English Civil War. After the national trauma of so much horror and bloodshed, the Church of England presented itself as a peace treaty in which those of very different theological temperaments could stay together in one body. The C of E was the original Big Tent. But in the 21st century, this peace treaty seems to be breaking down. Is the Church of England coming to an end? Monday 10.15 Hebron
Gustavo Parajon Gustavo A Parajon is the founding president of the Nicaraguan Council of Evangelical Churches, and president of both the Nicaragua Fund for Community Development and Amos Health and Hope (a healthcare program serving rural communities). He was a member of Nicaragua’s National Reconciliation Commission in the 1980s. Community struggle, Community theology, Community hope How the battle against climate change and poverty is being fought through liberation theology, community empowerment and social enterprise in Nicaragua. Saturday 14.30 Galilee
Nicaragua today – 30 years after revolution Why we still need to learn from Nicaragua about hope and struggle and a theology which liberates. Sunday 17.30 Galilee
Seeing beyond the surface of the now Many in the west are on a journey towards depth and meaning, but still dependant on consumptive gratification, debt and addiction. Are there other, more ancient paths of wisdom that enable people to become more human? Friday 18.00 Galilee
Ilan Pappe Ilan Pappe is a both a historian and a human rights activist who believes that commitment and professionalism do not necessarily clash, but rather reinforce each other. He is codirector of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies. The Uprooting of a nation – What really happened in 1948 in Palestine? Known to Israelis as the War of Independence, the 1948 war is known to the Palestinians as The Nakba or Catastrophe. The creation of the Israeli state meant a million people were expelled from homes at gunpoint, civilians massacred, and villages destroyed. Ilan Pappe argues for international recognition of the tragedy, the root of today’s conflict. Saturday 13.30 Festival Bowl
1967 and beyond – what happened in 67 and why do we keep talking about the 67 borders? Could the 1967 borders be the basis for a two-state solution in Israel-Palestine? Ilan Pappe looks at what happened in 67 and since, and where that leaves us today. Is there any hope of peace in these days of the intransigent Benjamin Netanyahu government? Sunday 15.45 Bethlehem
Rev Q&A Rev is a sitcom based around the life of Adam Smallbone, an inner-city vicar, and the trials he goes through to keep his parish and community together. Honest, refreshing and funny, the show has been a big hit for BBC2. James Wood will be in conversation, talking about creating the show and showing clips of the series. Sunday 20.00 Big Top
Janey Lee Grace Janey Lee Grace works with Steve Wright on his BBC Radio 2 show. She is also the author of the bestselling Imperfectly Natural Woman. Her book Look Great Naturally...Without Ditching the Lipstick is out now. Ditch the chemicals: save cash, save your health, save the planet Health is the second most searched for topic on the net after pornography, and this session is for anyone who wants to tick that eco box without too much effort. Find cheap DIY natural remedies for common ailments, natural skincare and cleaning your house without chemicals. Janey has a natural alternative to everything from shampoos to nail polish. Sunday 18.30 Bethlehem
John Bell John Bell is a hymn-writer, Church of Scotland minister and member of the Iona Community. He broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day, and lectures at theological colleges worldwide. His most recent book is Ten Things They
Never Told Me About Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide To a Larger Christ. The sin that dare not speak its name Child abuse has never been a popular topic for conversation. Yet it is a reality which will not go away, and from which Christians are not exempt. So how do we respond to this phenomenon? Are there biblical perspectives from which we can draw? And can it be prevented? Saturday 17.15 Hebron
Greenbelt’s counselling service is available for anyone affected by this talk. See Unpigeonholeable section. Imagine The imagination is sometimes regarded as a bogus gift of God. We extol it in children yet suspect it in adults. Here the case is made for it being an essential element for a lively faith and satisfying life. More outrageous perhaps is the claim that you can’t understand the Bible without it. Sunday 17.00 Big Top
Jesus, My Facebook Friend The speed at which what once seemed like sophisticated technology has become child’s play is staggering. “Junior shows grandpa how to send emails” is how the tabloids might celebrate it. But what effect does the highly egocentric universe of cyberspace have on the relationships to self. Monday 14.15 Jerusalem
John Smith John Smith is the founder and of Concern Australia and the founding president of God’s Squad Christian Motorcycle Club. He is an author, social anthropologist, lecturer, biker, elder of the radical discipleship movement and a prominent social commentator. His first book, On the Side of the Angels, sold over 80,000 copies at its first printing. He is currently fighting prostate cancer.
68 Greenbelt 2010
Starry, Starry Nights Part 1 Artists who dare to look sideways and speak the truth to power – whether religious, economic or political – will suffer. Reflections on Vincent Van Gogh, the Chilean musician Victor Jara, contemplative Dianna Ortiz and Paul Robeson. Sunday 13.30 Hebron
Starry, Starry Nights Part 2 Artists who dare to look sideways and speak the truth to power, whether religious, economic or political, will suffer. Reflections on Chilean artist Joel Lilartiga, St John Chrysostom and author Marian Wright Edelman. Monday 15.45 Jerusalem
John Swinton John Swinton holds the chair in practical theology and pastoral care at the University of Aberdeen. He is also an honorary professor at Aberdeen’s Centre for Advanced Studies in Nursing. He previously worked as a registered nurse and community mental health chaplain. Whose story am I? Re-thinking dementia in the Kingdom of God All of us live in a complex world of stories that define who we are. But what happens when we can no longer tell our own story? John Swinton challenges standard accounts of dementia and offers a new story that is not determined by issues of loss or tragedy. Saturday 12.00 Festival Bowl
Carer Sessions (p75) and Dementia Care (p76) also deal with the subject of Dementia.
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is a leader of the new monastic movement, co-founder of the Rutba House community, and an associate minister at St John’s Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina. He is the author of several books, including Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, written with Shane Claiborne.
The resurrection of contemporary Christianity In the midst of a shrinking Christendom, the Spirit has been stirring a new monastic movement. A chance to hear some stories about what’s happening under the radar and in the forgotten places of Empire – stories that inspire and give hope that we can be the church we dream of. Sunday 17.30 Jerusalem
Does God want you to be rich? Tactics from Jesus for a good life now The prosperity Gospel is partly right: God does want to give you your best life now. But the abundant life Jesus invites us into is far better than getting rich. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove explores Jesus’ tactics for slipping God’s economy into the broken systems of this world. Monday 13.00 Festival Bowl
Karen Ward Karen Ward is the urban abbess of Church of the Apostles, Seattle, which meets in the Fremont Abbey, an arts and community abbey for the Fremont neighbourhood of Seattle. Congregational monasticism An exploration of how new adaptations of monastic traditions can form, deepen and sustain congregational life and mission in emerging, postmodern and post-Christian culture. Practical examples and resources to inform mission and ministry in your own congregational setting. Monday 16.15 Galilee
Kate Coleman Kate Coleman is associate pastor of The Regeneration Centre in Birmingham, and a former president of the Baptist Union. She was the first black woman Baptist minister in the UK, and is a popular preacher, teacher,
lecturer and strategic advisor to events, committees, church councils, local communities and specialist groups. A leader’s growing pains: reflections on the life of Moses There are three major hurdles we all have to face in our leadership journey, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or whether our work and ministry is exercised within the public, private, voluntary or church arenas. A look at the overlapping cycles of personal development in the life and ministry of Moses. Saturday 10.00 Galilee
Kate Pickett Kate Pickett is a professor of epidemiology (the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations) at the University of York and a National Institute for Health Research career scientist. She studied physical anthropology at Cambridge, nutritional sciences at Cornell and epidemiology at Berkeley. She co-wrote The Spirit Level with Richard Wilkinson. The spirit level: why equality is better for everyone The facts show that even small differences in inequality matter. It increases status insecurity of competition and the prevalence of all the problems associated with relative deprivation. A timely look at wealth from the author of one of the year’s most compelling books. Monday 11.30 Festival Bowl
Keith Skene Keith Skene is a writer, lecturer, scientist and a former Rhodes scholar. He is based at the College of Life Sciences in Dundee. His main interests are evolutionary ecology, biophysics and climate change. He is also heavily involved in art-science collaborations.
Sustainability: the (much) bigger picture The forces that shape our universe also lie at the heart of understanding sustainability on our planet. Using his new book, Shadows on the Cave Wall: A New Theory of Evolution, Keith Skene sets out a radical ecological agenda. Saturday 13.00 Sovereign Lounge
Theology and thermodynamics: where faith meets physics Energy, a central concept in physics, also occupies an important place in the writings of our faith. Keith Skene asks can thermodynamics provide the missing link between the physical and the metaphysical? Sunday 12.00 Sovereign Lounge
Kerry Anthony Kerry Anthony is the chief executive of Depaul Ireland, an all-Ireland organisation working with some of the most marginalised within the homeless community. She has worked in the field for 13 years and is particularly interested in how to break the cycle of social exclusion. She was recently made an MBE. “The poor are our masters” When St Vincent de Paul spoke these words over 400 years ago he was reminding his colleagues that the only way to successfully serve those they worked with was to think of them as their masters. This session will explore the concept of servant leadership, exploring how these values can be applied in organisational leadership today. Monday 10.00 Bethlehem
Kester Brewin Kester Brewin is a part-time teacher, freelance writer and author. His first book, The Complex Christ, was hailed as one of the most important texts on the emerging church movement. His latest, Other: Loving Self, God and Neighbour
Talks 69
in a World of Fractures has been described as “a work of rare beauty”. One and Other From noisy neighbours to nervous political coalitions, fears about immigration, racism, fundamentalism and international terrorism – our fear of engaging “the other” is at the heart of so many of our problems. What can Jesus’ commandment to love God and love our neighbour mean in an increasingly pluralist and fluid world of online friendship and offline anxiety? And what happens when lunch doesn’t arrive on time? Friday 19.30 Hebron
Pirates of the Charism Admitting that there are strangenesses in myself, in God and in other people, how can we practically work out better ways of becoming, as one theologian put it, “the kinds of selves who live in harmony with others”? Among others, pirates – with their “short and merry lives” – may hold some clues to better engaging “the other.” Saturday 19.00 Galilee
Laurence Freeman Laurence Freeman is a Benedictine monk and teaches meditation in the Christian tradition around the world. Close to his heart is the integration of contemplation and action, the spiritual education of the young and friendship between different faiths. His books include The Selfless Self and Jesus: The Teacher Within. Sowing the seed “A man sowed seed in the ground … day and night it grew, how he did not know”. The deeper we know God, the less we know. This is the challenge and the excitement of the spiritual quest. In meditation we learn what unlearning means and we experience a liberation from an over-cerebral approach to faith. Sunday 14.00 Festival Bowl
Finding the inner room Jesus says to “go into your inner room, shut the door and pray... in that secret place”. He is clearly a teacher of contemplation. Meditation is a way to this inner room – more than a technique it is a deepening of discipleship. Paradoxically this inner journey creates community and energises us for the service of others. Monday 11.30 Jerusalem
Lucy Winkett Lucy Winkett is canon precentor of St Paul’s Cathedral. She is a founding advisor of the public theology think tank Theos, a columnist for Third Way and a regular contributor on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. She is also the author of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s lent book, Our Sound is our Wound.
Maggi Dawn
Our sound is our wound We live in a noisy world. Where is the sound of Scripture or the voice of God? If we are listening for God’s voice, how do we know if we have heard it? How can we live a different rhythm in the middle of all the demands on us? Friday 18.00 Hebron
Maggi Dawn Maggi Dawn is chaplain and fellow in theology at Robinson College, Cambridge. She is an occasional broadcaster for BBC Radio 4 Religion, and writer and is a regular speaker at Greenbelt. Writing on the Wall is her third book. Writing on the wall Our culture is built on stories or ideas that come from the Bible. Literature, art, music, language and even our justice system are built on Christian concepts and biblical references. This session explores how the Bible has influenced artists from Shakespeare to Steinbeck, and The Beatles to Monty Python. Sunday 18.00 Hebron
Kate Coleman
Mark Yaconelli Mark Yaconelli is an author, speaker, and retreat leader. He is the co-founder of Triptykos, a public action programme for engaged compassion at Claremont School of Theology. He is also the host of The Hearth: Real Stories by Regular Folks in his home town of Ashland, Oregon. Mark is also running a series of workshops for further details see page 96. The three desires: Christianity as a spiritual path There are three yearnings that burn within every human heart: to know a larger source of love, to hold love for ourselves, and to share love with others. Mark explores the unique way in
which Christianity empowers us to pursue a life of contemplative communion, creative expression, and compassionate action. Saturday 11.30 Jerusalem
The God of compassion Most of Christianity is a struggle to let go of a God who doesn’t exist – the task master, the shamer, the all powerful Almighty. What might it mean to let go of our belief in a God who leave us cold and burdened? To uncover the God Thomas Merton once called, “mercy, within mercy, within mercy”. Sunday 16.00 Jerusalem
The secret life of human beings As human beings we soon realise that we are not one, but many. How do we live with the different parts within us:
70 Greenbelt 2010
the judgement, lust, rage, and depression as well as the joy, passion and empathy? How might we tend the various parts of ourselves in a way that releases our capacity for creative, empathic, and passionate life? Monday 16.15 Bethlehem
Mark Vernon Mark Vernon is a writer, journalist, author and faculty member at The School of Life. He began his professional life as a priest in the Church of England, left an atheist, and is now agnostic. He is also an honorary research fellow at Birkbeck College, London. The philosopher Jesus Might Jesus have been a kind of philosopher – one in the Cynic tradition, even? After all, Jesus didn’t write anything bar a few doodles in the sand, a fact he shares with Socrates, another figure who changed western civilisation. In our syncretistic times, might remembering some of Christianity’s origins be of use? Monday 17.15 Hebron
Martyn Atkins Martyn Atkins is a Methodist minister, lousy guitarist, book and music nut, Leeds United supporter and currently serves as general secretary of the Methodist Church. On not teaching your grandparents to suck eggs: making disciples today, hints from early Christians Today’s religiously and socially plural society is in some respects very similar to that of the early Church. Being Christian was not “normal”, nor popular, and there were plenty of gods and sacred buildings to choose from. Yet in this context Christians found ways to form people as disciples, rather than “mere converts”. Such is vital today. Saturday 13.00 Galilee
Michael Northcott Michael Northcott is a professor of ethics at the University of Edinburgh, a trustee of Traidcraft and an Episcopal Priest. He is the author of many books including A Moral Climate: The Ethics of Global Warming and Cuttlefish Clones and Cluster Bombs: Preaching, Politics and Ecology. Drones, democracy, and depleted uranium Robots, battlefield nuclear weapons and cluster bombs are changing the face of war. These weapons kill and injure civilians and combatants indiscriminately. Christians – just warriors and pacifists – ought to call for an end to all military intervention if this is the only kind of war that the British armed forces are now prepared to fight. Saturday 16.45 Bethlehem
Nicola Slee Nicola Slee is a theologian and poet who has written extensively in the fields of Christian feminist theology, liturgy, spirituality and education. She is a research fellow and the MA team leader at the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham. Seeking the risen Christa The image of a female Christ figure – the Christa – is a motif in feminist theology, and a surprisingly popular image in contemporary art. Yet most of these images depict a suffering figure, reinforcing the dominance of death imagery in Christianity. A fresh reading of a risen Christa can be empowering for women and men. Saturday 10.00 Bethlehem
Nigel Varndell Nigel Varndell first went to the Occupied Palestinian Territories ten years ago and has been going back every year since. He has talked with politicians, soldiers,
gunmen, religious leaders, NGO workers and everyday people in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The bluffers guide to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories It is in the newspapers, on TV and in the public consciousness, but how many of us understand what life is like in the Occupied Palestinian Territories? This introductory seminar will look at how the occupation started and what the consequences are for ordinary Palestinians. Saturday 12.45 Bethlehem
Oliver James Oliver James was a clinical child psychologist before becoming an author, journalist, TV producer, radio broadcaster and TV presenter. He is the author of They F*** You Up – How to Survive Family Life and Affluenza – How to be Successful and Stay Sane. He has acted as an adviser to both New Labour and the Tories. It’s a mad world How Thatch- and then Blatcherism turned us into a nation of It Could Be You, Shop Till You Drop, credit-fuelled consumer junkies. Oliver James explains how a sane world can and will come about. Sunday 19.30 Hebron
Pádraig Ó Tuama Pádraig Ó Tuama works in chaplaincy with young people in Belfast. He has worked with the Corrymeela Community and the Irish Peace Centre in writing poetry to represent people’s experience of life, troubles and hope. How do you spell hell? Dante’s Vision of Hell has more mainstages than Greenbelt, and yet, at the pit of it all, there is an image of Luficer frozen in a lake of his own tears. This talk will use poetry, story and theological reflection to discuss how hell can be a concept that
brings consolation rather than desolation. Pitchforks might be provided. Sunday 15.00 Galilee
Paula Clifford Paula Clifford is the head of theology at Christian Aid. During 2007–2008 she was also the Archbishop of Canterbury’s adviser on climate change. One of her recent reports is The Gospel and the Rich: Theological Views of Tax, which discusses the theological foundations of Christian Aid’s new tax campaign. International development: does theology matter? A conversation about the theology that underpins the work of a Christian development organisation. Paula presents an approach based on relational theology and will include live comment from one of Christian Aid’s South American offices. Friday 19.30 Galilee
Peter Graystone Peter Graystone works for Church Army, where his job is to create new Christian communities attractive to those who have never been to church. This follows work as a teacher and with Christian Aid. His books include Be Happy!, Signs of the Times, Detox Your Spiritual Life in 40 Days, and Need to Know: Christianity. Middle Eastenders: the Bible as soap opera Some Bible stories are perplexing if they are spiritualised in a sermon but make complete sense if you treat them like a TV soap. This sideways look at Bible stories digs through sex, betrayal and jealousy to seek God in the holy trash. Friday 18.00 Bethlehem
Peter Oborne Peter Oborne is a journailst and political commentator. A Daily Mail columnist and author of The Rise of Political Lying, he is
Talks 71
particularly known for acerbic commentary on the hypocrisy and apparent mendacity of contemporary politicians. He is the author of biographies of Alastair Campbell and, in a different vein and contrast, of the cricketer Basil D’Oliveira (for which he won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year). What is a good politician? In an era in which MPs are under scrutiny as never before and their credibility and integrity have plumbed new depths, just what is a good politician? Are our expectations too high or are their standards too low? What are the signs that someone is in politics for the common good, and what are the signs that they may be on the make? Saturday 14.15 Hebron
Peter Selby Peter Selby served 41 years in the ordained ministry of the Church of England, retiring as Bishop of Worcester and Bishop to HM Prisons in 2007. He has maintained his interest in prisons since retirement, and is the president of the National Council for Independent Monitoring Boards. A church of passion and justice Sometimes the church behaves not as a community of the redeemed but as a tribal institution. In the light of the debates around women’s ministry, the full inclusion of LGBT persons and equality of opportunity and representation of ethnic minorities, Peter Selby’s insights are passionately prophetic. Sunday 12.00 Galilee
Peter Tatchell Peter Tatchell has been a human rights campaigner for more than 40 years. As well as campaigning to complete the struggle for gay and lesbian equality in the UK, Peter also works in solidarity with human rights activists in many other
countries, including Iran, Uganda, Iraq and Zimbabwe. The struggle for queer freedom in Africa In most African countries, LGBT people face criminalisation and violence, which is at best unopposed by Africa’s churches and at worst supported by them. Variously described as a “homosexual terrorist” and a “national hero”, Peter Tatchell, who twice attempted to arrest Robert Mugabe, discusses the struggle for queer freedom in Africa..
Bye buy childhood Has the commercialisation of childhood won? To advertisers children are anything from small, absorbent consumer capitalists, to fulcrums of parent pester-power, and receptacles of prematurely adult concepts. As child-targeted commercialism exacerbates gender stereotypes and pushes ‘status anxiety’ on our most formative years, and childhood itself becomes a buyable product, how do parents and communities respond? Monday 17.30 Galilee
Saturday 19.00 Hebron
Richard Chartres Pip Wilson Pip Wilson’s work has ranged from urban street gangs in East London to a club for Hell’s Angels in Lancashire and special needs group work for people with drug and alcohol issues. He is currently employed by West London YMCA as a training and development consultant. Sometimes the cheese is falling off our cracker We all need tools in our life toolbox for the times we are sharp with the ones we love or for “difficult” relationships at work. Level 5 is a tool, a skill to have ready for emotional moments. It is about managing emotions and learning the ability to avoid regrettable outbursts. A workshop to get tooled up. Monday 19.00 Galilee
Reg Bailey Reg left a three-decade career in business to become the first male chief executive of Mothers' Union in the organisation's 130-year history. He helped to transform an organisation sometimes perceived as outdated into a dynamic and relevant charity, committed to supporting family life in all its forms, which undertakes groundbreaking work in community development in 81 countries.
Richard Chartes became Bishop of London in 1995. He founded St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace and is currently the chairman of the trustees. Praying Through Icons Richard Chartres offers an illustrated exploration into the origin of the icon in the Christian tradition and invites you to consider them as a way into faith today. Saturday 13.00 Centaur
Richard Harries Described by Rowan Williams as one of the modern churches “truly great and memorable figures” Richard Harries was Bishop of Oxford from 1987 until 2006 when he was made a life peer. He is a regular contributor to Thought for the Day and and is currently Gresham professor of divinity and an honorary professor of theology at King’s College, London. Faith in Politics? Rediscovering the Christian Roots of our Political Values How does Christianity underpin Britain’s constitution? A look at the relationship between modern laws and morality and the Christian understanding of what it is to be a human. Monday 11.15 Bethlehem
Richard Rohr Fr Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province. He lives in a hermitage behind his Franciscan community - the Center for Action and Contemplation – in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he presently serves as founding director. The Art of Looking Sideways at the Bible Language by gift and necessity is dualistic (distinguishing this from that) and metaphorical (it is pointing to the thing, but is not itself the thing). Jesus understood that much better than we do, which is why the word had to become flesh. He began his many descriptions of the kingdom with the same honest phrase “it is like”. How we can interpret scripture the way Jesus interpreted scripture? Friday 18.00 Jerusalem
The Art of Looking Sideways at the Church Is there a “wisdom way” of looking at the support system that we call the church? How can we love it and not idolise it, learn from it and not ignore it, critique it without rejecting it, be a part of it without planting our feet in its cement? Fr Richard Rohr will talk about the Emerging Church phenomenon in the USA. Saturday 11.00 Hebron
The Art of Looking Sideways at Us The mind thinks it can look at things directly and understand them – which is a very big assumption.There is another way of knowing ourselves and one another that Fr Richard Rohr calls “non dual thinking” or contemplation. He is convinced it is the only possible way to forgive. Sunday 12.15 Big Top
The Art of Looking Sideways at Christ St. Augustine said that “If you understand it, then it is not God”. All religious language is necessarily metaphorical, which has a much better chance of leading us toward the mystical and experiential
72 Greenbelt 2010
knowledge of God. St John of the Cross said that “God refuses to be known by the mind, and can only be known by love”. This is both a major humiliation for us and a major invitation. God cannot be known as we know any other object of knowledge, but demands from us an entirely different operating system. Sunday 18.45 Jerusalem
Sami Awad Sami Awad is a Palestinian Christian living in Bethlehem. He is the executive director of Holy Land Trust, which seeks to empower the Palestinian community to develop spiritual, pragmatic and strategic approaches that allow it to resist oppression and build a future as a model of understanding, respect, justice, and peaceful coexistence. Breaking the chains of injustice: the Power of Nonviolence in the Holy Land With Israel’s settlements now rooted deeply in Palestinian land, a just and long lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis seems increasingly difficult to achieve. Sami Awad will argue that the only way to break this cycle of violence and growing resignation of the Palestinian people is through developing a deeper and more comprehensive nonviolent opposition that includes both local and global components. Saturday 15.45 Hebron
Sarah Edwards Sarah Edwards leads Health Poverty Action’s policy and campaigns team. She has previously worked for Jubilee Debt Campaign, AntiSlavery International, the Catholic Housing Aid Society and SPEAK. She has been involved in several high profile campaigns including Jubilee Debt, Make Poverty History and Stop Human Traffic.
Robin Hood Tax: is it just another form of aid? The Robin Hood Tax campaign is calling for a tiny tax on financial transactions to tackle poverty and climate change. Critics argue this is just another form of aid, maintaining power in global financial centres and letting the rich decide what gets spent. Could such a tax embody a redistributive spirit and build solidarity with the poor? Monday 13.45 Bethlehem
Simon Parke Simon Parke was a priest in the Church of England for 20 years before giving it up to work in a supermarket. He now writes, leads retreats and provides work supervision and life support for people. His most recent book is One-Minute Mystic. He has won a Sony radio award for scriptwriting, wrote for Spitting Image, and is a weekly columnist in the Daily Mail. Conversations with four marvellous/maybe mad mystics The differing spiritualities of Meister Eckhart (13th-century German mystic), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes and spiritualism), Leo Tolstoy (War and Peace and NonViolence) and Vincent Van Gogh (painter of stars and suicide victim). Magnificent? Mad? Both? Saturday 15.30 Bethlehem
Solomuza Mabuza Born in South Africa, Solomuza is a pastor, theologian, lecturer, activist and advocate. He has worked for the East Jerusalem YMCA, and was the first coordinator of the Occupied Palestine Advocacy Initiative, and has continued to work internationally on questions of Bible study, gender, youth leadership, Africa, and the Middle East.
A new South African spirituality: freedom, liberation and post-apartheid God. What does liberation theology mean in South Africa today? How does it work? Exploring a theological framework, in a new country post apartheid. Saturday 11.15 Bethlehem
South Africa after Fifa After the Fifa World Cup, what are the hopes and struggles that lie ahead for South Africa in tackling the social divisions and ever widening gap between rich and poor. Monday 12.30 Bethlehem
Stanley Hauerwas Stanley Hauerwas is the Gilbert T. Rowe professor of theological ethics at the Divinity School of Duke University. A leading theologian and ethicist, his primary intent is to show that theological convictions make no sense unless they are embodied in our lives. He is also interested in medical ethics, war and peace, and the care of those suffering mental illness. He applies his early experience as a bricklayer to this theological approach. His most recent publication is Hannah’s Child: A Theologian’s Memoir. On not being saved Stanley Hauerwas will read from his recently published memoir, Hannah’s Child: A Theologian’s Memoir, focussing on the sections that describe his inability to “get himself saved” and how this has shaped his thinking and his attempts to live a fully Christian life. Friday 18.00 Centaur
How I became a theologian In this session Stanley will focus on the sections of his memoir that describe his formation as a Christian theologian. In 2001 Time magazine named him “America’s Best Theologian”. He responded by saying “’Best’ is not a theological category.” Saturday 10.00 Centaur
America’s God In this session Stanley will discuss the misconception that the “god” often appealed to in US political and religious rhetoric is the same triune God worshipped by the Church and confessed in the Christian creeds. Who is America’s God? Saturday 18.30 Centaur
Swee Ang Swee Ang was an orthopaedic consultant for the UN in the Gaza Strip during the first Palestinian intifada in 198889. She worked in Sabra and Shatilla Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut in 1982 and was a witness and survivor of the massacre that year. She is currently a surgeon at Barts and the Royal London Hospital. The Wounds of Gaza Surgeon Swee Ang returned to Gaza in early 2009, and was overwhelmed with the devastation she experienced. Her article on what she found there – The Wounds Of Gaza – proved hugely controversial. Through discussion of the situation, Swee will describe her development as a Christian advocate of Palestine. Sunday 13.15 Bethlehem
Tim Mayfield Tim Mayfield is the vicar of Christ Church, Cheltenham. He was alerted to the Palestinian issue by attending seminars by Elias Chacour at Greenbelt 2003, and became acquainted with the Joint Advocacy Initiative’s Olive Tree Campaign at a seminar in 2008. With the campaign he helped in the Palestinian olive harvest in October 2009. Beautiful resistance: on the ground with the Palestinian olive harvest Sa’id showed us two documents. The first was a certificate, issued by the Government of Palestine in 1920, proving that his olive grove belonged to his family.
Talks 73
Panels Debates that dig deep into contemporary issues and question your assumptions. Contributors who’ve thought long and hard and occasionally glimpsed part of an answer, to some of the questions. Witnesses who speak from experience – and are open to question. Discussion that aims to help you consider what you might think... to host disagreement as essential to discovery.
save the day... or is someone having a laugh? Why should the devil have all the best bankers? Panelists include Sarah Edwards, Oliver James, Jane Corbett, Paul Chandler (CEO of Traidcraft) and Matthew Reed (Christian Aid). Chaired by Rhian Roberts. Rhian Roberts Rhian Roberts has worked at BBC Radio 5 Live as a programme editor and journalist and is currently head of development. Sunday 17.00 Bethlehem
Stanley Hauerwas
The second was a letter from the Israeli government, announcing that this land would be confiscated. Why does the Olive Tree Campaign introduce foreign nationals to people like Sa’id? How can we work towards justice for him? Monday 17.30 Bethlehem
Tom Hewitt Tom Hewitt is the CEO of Umthombo Street Children, formerly the Durban Street Team. He has campaigned for over a decade against the forced removals of street children by Durban authorities in favour of compassionate and informed policies of engagement. Goodbye to roundups In South Africa local authorities clean up the streets for tourists and business travellers by getting the police to violently round up street children, put them in jail or dump them in the bush. With the Fifa World Cup coming to South Africa, Umthombo Street Children in Durban decided it was time for this brutal practice to end. Come and hear how Umthombo used the world’s media and football to change life on the streets for children in South Africa and throughout the world. Sunday 16.30 Hebron
Tom Sine Tom Sine is co-founder of Mustard Seed Associates, which help Christians create new responses to tomorrow’s challenges. His most recent book is The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time. Tom lives in an intergenerational community in Seattle. Creating communities of celebration, sustainablity and subversion in the shadow of the empire The marketers of the imperial global economy are influencing people all over the planet to live in their fables – their notions of the good life. In this session you are invited to imagine new expressions of community that are more cooperative, festive and missional and less expensive. They reflect a very different dream. Sunday 13.30 Galilee
Join the new conspirators in re-imagining how to be a difference and make a difference in turbulent times The global recession may be over, but the volatility isn’t. This session will take you on quick tour of some of the new challenges facing us, the poor and the planet over the next decade. You’re invited to join the new conspirators in creating new expressions of life, church and mission. Monday 15.45 Hebron
Are our churches in breach of Article 12 of the UN Convention on the rights of the child? Participation has become extremely fashionable both as a concept and as a practice. It seems like just about everyone and his or her dog is trying it in some shape or form, with various ideas about what it is and what it is not. In this hour we will explore the concept and practice of participation and its implications for us and our children in the context of church (whatever that may be). Hosted by the Methodist Church. Jude Levermore and Peter Ball Jude Levermore works for the Methodist Church, developing and delivering their participation strategy. A former Greenbelt chair, her background is in face-to-face youth work and management in the third sector. Peter Ball is the National Youth Adviser for the Church of England, with a wealth of voluntary and statutory sector youth work and training experience. Saturday 11.30 Galilee
The Capital Problem Credit crunch. Recession. Depression. Age of Austerity. Are we waking up to the fact that capitalism is finally broke? Is there a new, softer, kinder, gentler edition of sociallyresponsible capitalism set to
Christian warriors: to challenge or to minister? Should Christians join the military? Are Christian pacifists naively avoiding reality? Symon’s faith inspires him to campaign against militarism; Mike’s faith motivates his ministry as a Chaplain in the RAF. This upbeat and frank discussion will explore why they differ, and what common ground they have. Symon Hill and Mike Elliot Mike Elliot is the senior chaplain at RAF Cottesmore, and a member of the Council for Christian Approaches to Defence and Disarmament. He has recently returned from Afghanistan. Symon Hill is a Quaker Christian, activist, trainer and writer. He is a news editor for The Friend, an associate director of the Ekklesia thinktank, and also tutors in practical theology. Saturday 11.30 Sovereign Lounge
Don’t Let Them Put You Down... Is it right to assist those who are at the end of their lives, to end their lives? If not, why not? Witness statements come from Lesley Misrahi (qualified in public health and theology), George Pitcher (financial journalist for Marketing Weekly), John Swinton and Nicola Hambridge (Greenbelt volunteer
74 Greenbelt 2010
and GP) while our expert panel includes Paul Badham and Stanley Hauerhaus. Chaired by Lucy Winkett (see page 69). Friday 20.00 Kitchen
How do you know what you know? If the scientists and the religionists could settle down for a moment, maybe we could ask just how rational art is... or science... or religion? Panellists include comedian and atheist Robin Ince and academic Keith Skene. Chaired by Maggi Dawn (see page 69). Saturday 15.00 Big Top
Interesting We know many of you come to Greenbelt for the people, so come and meet some
of the most Interesting. Mini-talks, ranging from five to fifteen minutes, bunched into two sessions, featuring festivalgoers recruited on the Greenbelt blog and a few better known faces talking about something that interests them – from the intelligent and informative, to the quirky and fascinating. Saturday 22.00 The Hub Sunday 22.00 The Hub
Meat Is Murdering the Planet Should we take a vow of vegetarianism? Isn’t it time we recognised that our meatbased diets are a disaster for our globe? Has the ethical argument been overtaken by a pragmatic one – are we eating ourselves into history?
Panelists include Michael Northcott, Solumuzi Mabuza and Peter Tatchell. Chaired by Esther Addley. Esther Addley Esther Addley is a Guardian journalist. Friday 19.30 Bethlehem
New shoes on a well-trod path – pioneer ministry and fresh expressions A chance to explore the opportunities for helping people to become disciples of Jesus through pioneering mission and fresh expressions of church that take culture and context seriously. A look at what is current in the world of fresh expressions and the challenge for their future development. Hosted by the Methodist Church.
Fresh Expressions Stephen Lindridge of the Fresh Expressions team; Ian Bell of VentureFX and the Methodist pioneer ministries scheme; and Simon Sutcliffe, a pioneer minister in Stoke-on-Trent. Sunday 16.15 Galilee
Palestine Is Still The Issue... We can’t ignore it and it won’t go away. The west’s failure to be even-handed and abide by international law allows a dangerous sense of grievance to build - particularly in the Muslim world. Witness statements come from Sami Awad, Swee Ang, Solumuza Mabusa and Brian Klug while our expert panel includes Ilan Pape, Clare Short and Ben White. Chaired by Sue Plater.
Talks 75
Sue Plater Sue Plater works in the world of student finance, and often wishes she were in Nicaragua or Palestine. She is treasurer of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, has Palestinian godchildren in Bethlehem. Saturday 19.00 Kitchen
Time To Boycott Israeli Goods (Class Discuss) Can the pound in your pocket deliver a just peace for the Holy Land? From apartheid South Africa to multinational chocolate companies, boycotts have long focused the world’s consumers on injustice. So is it time to boycott Israeli goods? If we don’t squeeze a jaffa, would it help end the occupation? Or are boycotts counter-productive? Can our economic power get the State of Israel, as Zoughbi Zoughbi puts it, “to their senses and not to their knees”. Panelists include Jane Clements, Sami Awad, Nigel Varndell, Steve Hucklesby and Abe Hayeem. Chaired by Martin Evans. Martin Evans Martin Evans has been vice chair and general manager of Greenbelt. He has been director of two national charities and executive director of a health authority. Monday 13.30 Hebron
Two men; two minutes; one chance What would you say to the new prime minister/deputy prime minister if you were given two minutes to make a pitch to them? Social holiness is a key aspect of understanding aspects of discipleship, so come and find out what issue people of faith and no faith want the government to be talking about. Hosted by the Methodist Church. Joint Public Issues Team The Joint Public Issues Team is a body that speaks for the Methodist, Baptist and United
Reform Churches to promote the importance of Christian engagement with public issues. Monday 11.30 Galilee
What’s Wrong With Our Political System? (And how can we fix it ?) One vote every five years? First Past The Post (FPTP) in a modern democracy? Do you believe in the AV? Or perhaps STV? Or the ACDA (A Completely Different Acronym) Jonathan Bartley of think tank Ekklesia, and other politicians and activists ask how democratic our voting system is, how we might get greater representation and whether updating the constitution will engage new audiences in the political process. Chaired by Rhian Roberts. Monday 11.45 Hebron
When Are Online Communities Real? What is it that makes an online community work? After thirty years of experimentation, we ought to know. But to judge by the results we don’t. What we seem to have made online is antisocial networking. Is this because our notions of community have been taken over and redefined by the corporate online powers who think the word means “markets”. Or is it original sin? Andrew Brown opens the debate with contributions from blogger and priest Karen Ward and Simon Jenkins, editor of Ship of Fools. Andrew Brown Andrew Brown, editor of the Guardian’s Comment is Free Belief section. Sunday 19.00 Kitchen
Kitchen The kitchen is the heart of any home, and at Greenbelt it’s there to enable those life-changing conversations and connections that make the festival so special. Back this year with more debate and practical tips, this is the place to get beyond the theory, dig deeper and turn dreams into action – all with a cuppa in hand.
Disability and Illness John Waller – priest, father and carer for a wife with multiple sclerosis – takes on the hard questions that confront the most thoughtful carers. Personal stories and reflections on disability caring in the context of faith. Monday 10.45 Kitchen
Child sacrifice Adoption More than 60,000 infants are currently in the care of local authorities in England. Adoption can offer a new start to many children and bring much joy to a family. But is it always that simple? A workshop for those interested or experienced: bring your questions to a safe environment. Monday 15.30 Kitchen
Art, Activism and Jesus The biblical prophets challenged unjust societies in provocative, God-centred and creative ways. The SPEAK network looks at the importance of creative campaigning, and invites you to hear stories from their team of volunteers. Can you add some of your own? Saturday 17.30 Kitchen
Carer Sessions Mental Health One in four people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year, and many of us struggle to help family members or friends through difficult times. Alistair Pearson, a family psychotherapist from London, offers a chance to sit with sadness and seek encouragement in the midst of darkness. Monday 10.00 Kitchen
Whose story am I? (p75) and Dementia care (p76) also deal with the subject of dementia.
Jesus never had children -- but if he did, would he have moved to the suburbs? Do you have the right to sacrifice your child’s future on the altar of your beliefs? Come and argue with people who believe they do. Sunday 14.00 Kitchen
Church Urban Fund Passionate and knackered: community activists working to the limit From food banks and night shelters to community meals and hospitality, effective community involvement presents many difficulties and obstacles. An opportunity for community activists to meet like-minded souls. Share your stories, ideas and experiences; collaborate over useful resources and support. Sunday 16.00 Kitchen
The Future of Youth Work What is the future of Christian youth work? Come meet fellow youth workers and discuss the headaches and hurdles, as well as the examples of effective, transformative action. Hosted by Anna Hembury and Pete Ward. Saturday 16.00 Kitchen
Coleslaw and colonisation Join the conversation as Tom Sine & Eliacin Rosario-Cruz discuss the fusion of food, faith and culture while bantering about Europe’s gift of coleslaw to a deprived world. Samples of a new majority world alternative salad will be available for tasting at the close of the session. Monday 19.00 Kitchen
76 Greenbelt 2010
Community and Guerrilla Gardening
Open houses in “not nice” places?
EarthAbbey uses gardening as a means of building community. From a growing project in a tower block estate to an asylum seekers’ allotment, its members have much to say about the benefits of literally getting your hands dirty.
Considering moving into a deprived part of your city? Done it already? You may be trying to follow a biblical imperative to become part of an open house, a microcommunity of faith and hospitality. A session from those who’ve done likewise.
Saturday 12.00 Kitchen
Saturday 10.00 Kitchen
Food and Ritual
Revisit
Food brings together families, churches and communities. How do we eat to live, how do we eat to love, how do we eat to remember? Come swap recipes, liturgies, ideas and experiences around food -- food and hospitality, food and justice, food and festivals.
Sometimes you just need to chew through some issues that have cropped up elsewhere at the festival. Bring your feedback and share it with a supportive network. A re-gather for those who’ve found The Kitchen a place of change, connection or welcome.
Friday 18.00 Kitchen
Monday 14.00 Kitchen
Generous A workshop for people to talk about the “little” everyday things that they have been doing in their life, as well as the things they would like to do but need a nudge on. Saturday 14.00 Kitchen
Help! There’s an asylum seeker in our church! A practical look at how we can befriend and help asylum seekers and refugees in our churches. An interactive session, with contributions from those who have found some answers to the difficulties you may be facing. Hosted by Dave Smith of the Boaz Trust. Monday 12.00 Kitchen
Hospitality through vulnerability Exploring the art of sharing ourselves on the basis of equality, honesty and simplicity. Sunday 12.00 Kitchen
Transition: from oil addiction to resilient community A Transition Initiative is a community that seeks to address climate change and find more sustainable ways of living. Do you have an experience of Transition where you live? Is the church involved? A session that explores the reasons behind the movement, with an opportunity to inspire and challenge fellow travellers. Sunday 17.15 Kitchen
Will you still need me, will you still feed me? It’s great living together when you’re young(ish) but what does community mean when you get old? Monday 17.30 Kitchen
Café Conversations Greenbelt’s afternoon Café sessions get festival contributors off the platform and around a table with you. Sit down and speak up over a drink every day in the Winged Ox. Chris Powell and Rachel Melville Thomas host, to tie thoughts to feelings, ideas to applications, and keep the connections going.
Café Philosophique Rummage through the recesses of your mind and let your ideas and the stories of your life collide... Saturday 17.00 Winged Ox
Café Scientifique Taking science out of the classroom, as scientific ideas and their varied applications have new life breathed into them... Sunday 17.00 Winged Ox
Café Psychologique Existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind and language all tied up in -ologies and -isms ripe for discussion... Monday 17.00 Winged Ox
Real Life We all need a little inspiration from time to time. These sessions will help you navigate the paths that life can sometimes lead you down.
Dementia care: personhood, creativity and sprituality Trevor Adams examines recent developments in dementia care, particularly the work of Tom Kitwood. Integrating these ideas into the work of John Swinton, Elizabeth McKinlay and Jean Vanier, how do people with dementia display spirituality by various means, including the use of creative arts? Trevor Adams Trevor Adams is a lecturer in mental health at the University of Surrey and specialises in dementia care. He has written over 50 papers and chapters on dementia care, published four books and has spoken at over 50 conferences in the UK, Canada and Australia. Saturday 14.30 Sovereign Lounge
Whose story am I? (p68) and Carer Sessions (p75) also deal with the subject of dementia.
Do what you are Ever thought you’d really like to know what career/job would be right for you? Come along to this session to discover how finding out about your personality type can help you to work out what you should be doing with your life. Please note this session will last two hours and is limited to 100 participants. Rebecca Cain Rebecca Cain is a career coach. After spending 12 years in the corporate HR world, she established Life Matters to help people through a process of working out what work would suit their personality, values and skills. Her past clients
Talks 77
have included vicars, doctors, teachers, and even a clairvoyant who just couldn’t see a way forward. Monday 11.30 Sovereign Lounge
For better or for worse? The church’s engagement in ending violence against women Violence against women is still a reality the world over for millions of women. Two questions that need an answer are “where is the church?” and “where are the men?” Hear what is being done and what you can do. Men are very welcome. Saturday 10.00 Sovereign Lounge
Living it out Most of us know lesbian, gay and bisexual people. For many, these relationships have made us take a different look at God and church. The authors of Living It Out share personal experiences, spiritual wisdom and practical advice for anyone who has wondered how to live out their faith with integrity while the gay debate rages on. Sarah and Rachel Hagger-Holt Sarah Hagger-Holt is a writer and editor for a Christian international development charity and is the author of several published Lent study courses. Rachel Hagger-Holt is a clinical psychologist. Sunday 17.00 Sovereign Lounge
Loving Life: Marriage Preparation Can it really last a lifetime? Wasn’t that a Victorian social construct? How do we share money? What if I change? What if the other half does? And when did weddings start involving paying for life? If you’re thinking about marriage, or you work with couples (or would like to) this is a tell-it-like-it-is practical course. Join for one session or the weekend course. Hosted by Mothers’ Union.
Saturday 14.15 Workshops 2 Sunday 14.15 Workshops 2 Monday 14.15 Workshops 2
Men required: apply within Scared by the word “gender”? Does it bring you out in rash? Taking a relationships-based approach Mandy Marshall explores how men are required in the battle of the sexes to lay down their lives for women. NB: This is not a speed dating event! Mandy Marshall Mandy Marshall is co-founder and co-director of Restored, a Christian organisation aimed at transforming relationships and ending violence against women. She is also the programme development advisor for gender at Tearfund. Monday 10.00 Sovereign Lounge
S:Vox S:Vox provides an opportunity to come together to share and support one another. This group is for adults who have experienced abuse: sexual, emotional, physical or spiritual, either as a child or an adult. Supporters are also welcome. Come to share or just listen and “be”. There will be some time all together and some time for survivors and supporters separately. Friday 19.00 Sovereign Saturday 19.00 Sovereign
Self-confidence for women: saying no Setting clear boundaries is essential for building selfconfidence. Women can suffer from a desire to please and a martyr-like instinct to do everything in the church. When we start to say No we are freed to concentrate on what God calls us to do. This workshop looks at how to set boundaries. Women only. Rosalyn Clare Rosalyn Clare escaped the corporate rat race to backpack around the world. On her return she retrained as a life/ career coach and now works in Birmingham with young people through Striding Out, and UKwide over the telephone. Sunday 15.00 Sovereign Lounge
78 Greenbelt 2010
performing arts. Look left, look right. Greenbelt brings what is sometimes hidden in the wings onto centre stage – right here, in front of our eyes. The theatre of our lives – and the life of the world – is here; played and danced out before us. And for those who want to get stuck in, there are workshops too.
Impact Dance
4D & Duologue EPiC Arts bring two outstanding performances to the festival: 4D – The stimulus for 4D was the lives of four deaf and physically disabled dancers and their own rhythms. The sign words “respect”, “share” and “support” form the basic building blocks of their lives and were central features of the choreographic process. Duologue – a contemporary dance piece that focuses on communication between two very different dancers – one with Down’s syndrome and one with no disability. The main theme is that in difference there can be commonality, intimacy and relationship. Saturday 18.30 Festival Bowl
EPiC Arts EPiC Arts is a disability arts charity and believes in a world where Every Person Counts (EPiC) and where people living with disabilities are integrated, accepted and respected within society. In 2008/09 EPiC Arts received funding from Trust Greenbelt.
After Violence This rehearsed reading of a new verbatim play interweaves the testimonies of victims and perpetrators of violence. An IRA member meets the daughter of one of his victims and two South Africans meet the parents of an American woman they murdered. “With the best intentions in the world,
Performing Arts 79
if you were sitting meeting someone who had killed your father, how would you respond?” Sunday 16.00 Big Top
Tom Underwood Tom trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama and before writing worked across film, TV and theatre. He began writing ‘After Violence’ in 2008 and has now interviewed over fifty people travelling to South Africa and Northern Ireland as well as meeting people from Bosnia, Burma, Holland and Rwanda. He has told forgiveness stories as a guest lecturer for the Peace & Reconciliation Centre at Coventry University and for The Salvation Army. Tom is a member of Raynes Park Community Church and is actively involved in his local community. He also works at a local school with special needs teenagers.
Applecart Phil Summers and Peter Moreton turn the Gospels into vivid drama using the simplest of props, the most surprising of songs, and the best storytelling in London. Applecart overturn preconceptions and re-tell the stories that you thought you knew. Never referred to by name, Jesus is constantly present in the dialogue – rich, poetic and witty. The Crowd Gatherer Doesn’t Give a Fig for Authority! Friday 22.00 YMCA
There’ll be Hocus-Pocus and Mumbo-Jumbo! Saturday 22.00 YMCA
The Crowd Gatherer Causes a Stink! Sunday 22.00 YMCA
The Crowd Gatherer Solves a Deficit Problem! Monday 22.00 YMCA
Jesus Hopped the “A” Train This acclaimed play gets to grips with faith and justice in Riker’s Island prison, New York. Esther Baker directs a cast including professional and exprisoner actors in “an intense, highly charged, darkly comic and claustrophobic creation” (What’s On Stage) that received fantastic reviews in its West End run this year. “[Writer] Guirgis thrillingly illustrates the random, intense impact his five characters have on each other’s lives, as [the prisoners] pick at the morality — or otherwise — of the murders they have committed, and argue over whether, even now, they can hop on the “A” train to religious salvation... Magnificent” (Evening Standard).
Jesus Hopped the “A” Train
Includes strong language. Not suitable for under 14s. Saturday 18.30 Big Top
Synergy Theatre Project Synergy Theatre Project works with prisoners and ex-prisoners producing shows both in theatres and within prisons, delivering education projects for young people and new writing initiatives to develop playwrights from prison. Synergy’s work is founded on the belief that theatre can be transformative and challenges perceptions of both prisoners and society, building a more positive future.
Mr Darwin’s Tree Mr Darwin’s Tree focuses on the relationship between Darwin (an agnostic) and his wife Emma (a Christian), and its bold treatment of issues around science, faith, love and human destiny. Andy Harrison “portrays the dozen or so characters seamlessly and impressively” The Times. Sunday 19.00 Festival Bowl
Murray Watts Written by award-winning screenwriter Murray Watts (The Miracle Maker) and starring actor Andrew Harrison,
The Selfish Giant
Mr Darwin’s Tree has been commissioned by Theos, the theology think tank, as part of its Rescuing Darwin project. Written during the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth the play was premiered in Westminster Abbey to great acclaim.
Origins and Lemons Riding Lights is going back to the very beginning! Origins and Lemons is a revue featuring refreshing songs, sketches, stories and stand-up around the Book of Genesis. Thoughtprovoking and funny, silly and profound, Riding Lights explores the truth and conjecture of creation in considerably less than six days. Sunday 15.45 Festival Bowl
Riding Lights Founded in York in 1977, Riding Lights was initially a community theatre project, but today tours nationally and internationally, and is recognised both as a pioneer in reinstating the value of theatre in Christian communication, and also for its significant artistic achievement.
80 Greenbelt 2010
Palestine Monologues First-hand testimonies from the Occupied Territories. Palestine Monologues explores the day-to-day experiences of life under Israeli occupation and highlights some of the turning points in individuals’ lives when they have seen past the dominant and opposing narratives perpetuating the conflict. Saturday 16.30 Festival Bowl
iceandfire iceandfire explores human rights stories through performance. Founded in 2003 by playwright Sonja Linden, the company sees theatre as the natural medium to communicate stories that make real and relevant the impact of human rights issues on our everyday lives. iceandfire’s outreach project, Actors for
Linda Marlowe
Human Rights, is a network of over 500 professional actors who are dedicated to drawing public attention to contemporary human rights concerns.
Rockabilly Grand Ball Join the Dodge Brothers and Jazzjiveswing for some base slappin’, heart pumpin’ rhythms. See page 13 for more details. Monday 19.00 Big Top
The Selfish Giant The Selfish Giant built a high wall all round his lovely garden to keep the children out. But it also kept spring away, so that it was always winter in the garden, and the North Wind and the Frost and the Snow danced about the trees. One morning
the giant looked out and saw a most wonderful sight... Saturday 10.00 Festival Bowl
PuppetCraft PuppetCraft is one of Britain’s most acclaimed puppet companies, touring nationally and internationally to schools, theatres, villages and festivals. PuppetCraft presents a wide range of shows and workshops for children, families and adults, using traditional folktales and original modern stories. It is noted for its beautifully crafted puppets.
Welcome to the Dolls The Dolls are intriguing creatures. Some say they are enchanted talismen brought to life by a sorcerer. Some say they were once humans, cursed for upsetting a witch
and condemned for eternity as prisoners in their doll-like state. Some say they are of a species not found on this earth. Whatever they are, anyone who observes theses beings may find themselves shocked, amused, bewildered but always entertained. Friday 20.30 Festival Bowl
The Story Weavers The Story Weavers are Louise Devlin, Samantha Ng and Laura Everett, three actors who create pieces of storytelling combining music and physical theatre. They devise works based on themes of life, love, death, and madness, creating a macabre, humorous world where reality is suspended…
Performing Arts 81
World’s Wife A new stage version of the acclaimed poems by Carol Ann Duffy that imagine the wives’ perspective of famous men through the ages. From Mrs Faust and Frau Freud to Queen Kong and Mrs Midas, this delightful show slices through history and myth, while casting an astute glance over the modern world. Laced with dark humour and acerbic wit, this passionate and skillful show will enthrall lovers of Duffy’s poems and newcomers alike. “Brilliant, witty, subversive” The Observer Monday 18.30 Centaur
Linda Marlowe Linda Marlowe has enjoyed great acclaim for her previous solo work including Berkoff’s Women (she worked with Berkoff for 25 years). In her
many television and film appearances she has worked with actors such as Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, Albert Finney and Gillian Anderson. In 2008 Linda brought her searing performance of Blieve to Greenbelt, to huge festival acclaim. “Linda Marlowe plugs straight into your arteries!” The Independent
Xtreme Circumstance A high energy roller-coaster ride of solos, duets and ensemble dance pieces. Inspired by hiphop culture and street dance combined with contemporary movement and physical theatre. Sunday 16.30 Centaur
Impact Dance Impact Dance is a hip-hop theatre company, street dance organisation and dance education
facilitator. The company produces performances for live audiences and classes for dancers of different aptitudes.
Zic Zazou On stage, a higgledy-piggledy tangle of scrap-iron and pipework, toolboxes and tincans. This is where nine labouring musicians – or even musically-minded blue-collar workers – turn out in their overalls and get their noses down to the grindstone, pounding out their crazy music to the rhythmical backdrop of a ticking clock. Nothing escapes the collective creative imagination of Zic Zazou as mundane objects of a railway engineman’s everyday working life find new and highly unusual applications, a double-headed train powered by boldness
and a mild degree of insanity, delivering music that, far from grating on listeners’ ears, enchants them. Zic Zazou create a carefree atmosphere and a sense of delight that lingers on long after the performance has ended. Friday 20.00 Centaur
Zic Zazou
82 Greenbelt 2010
Workshops Acting workshop Come and explore some basic tools of acting taught by Jason Barnett whose vast range of experience includes TV (regular as CSE Eddie Olusunje in The Bill) and theatre (War Horse National Theatre, Winter’s Tale RSC, The Girlfriend Experience Royal Court, associate actor Synergy Theatre Project). No experience necessary. Limited numbers. Monday 15.30 Sovereign Lounge
Bollywood Workshop Jai Ho! Try out some Indian dance moves with Bollywood Grooves Dance Company. Their dancers are trained in classical, traditional Bollywood, street and Bhangra styles. Bollywood Grooves Bollywood Grooves Dance Company has been providing choreographers, teachers and performers of Bollywood Dance in London for over 10 years. Sunday 17.30 Arena
Directing Performance Workshop A chance to dig in to the creative process, working with both written text and devised performance. Join Dick Bonham to look at how to create performance in different places, including traditional theatres and site-specific spaces. Suitable for people of any level of experience. Dick Bonham Dick is co-Artistic Director of PLaY Theatre Company and has worked as a writer and director for over ten years. PLaY has toured all over the UK, creating multidisciplinary contemporary performances for different audiences in theatre and public spaces. He is also part of the programming team at The Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds, where he has been closely
involved in the development of Emerge, a new festival supporting young theatremakers. Saturday 10.00 Workshops 1
JazzJiveSwing Dance Workshops JazzJiveSwing are former UK Lindy Hop champions and have taught swing dancing all over the world as well as running regular dance classes and events throughout the West Midlands. With dances taught simply and clearly, they’re here to give you all the skills you’ll need to dazzle at the Keep Monday Special Rockabilly Grand Ball. Jive Workshop Easy to learn and exciting from the off, bring your two left feet and a willing partner if you have one, as we take a trip back to the 1950s and the original Jive era. You’ll be swirling around the floor in no time. Saturday 10.00 Arena Sunday 15.00 Workshops 1 Monday 18.00 Big Top
Lindy Hop Workshop The Lindy Hop has a reputation as “the Grand Daddy of all jive dances”. With plenty of tips and ideas, the simple steps will soon form the basis of a stunning routine that you can make as complicated as you fancy. In no time, you’ll be cutting a rug in fine style… Saturday 12.00 Workshops 1 Monday 10.00 G-Source
Swing Workshop A fusion of Jive steps throughout the eras, to give you even more dance ideas for the Rockabilly Grand Ball. These steps are not difficult, but they will be taught carefully to some rompingly good tunes that will set your feet tapping. Learn some great shapes and simple tricks to impress your friends at any party, and have immense fun in the process. Sunday 13.00 Arena Monday 13.30 Workshops 1
Dance Workshop
Performing Artists Get Together For all those who work, or want to work in the performing arts, an informal opportunity to meet other people in the industry. Chat about the highs and lows, and meet some kindred spirits. Sunday 17.00 Workshops 1
Salsa Workshop If you want to look hot and yet cool on the dance floor, then Chuli will teach you saucy, sexy and sultry Cuban-style Salsa. For beginners and improvers alike, come as you are or with your friends. But be warned, salsa can be addictive! Chuli Scarfe Chuli is training as a sports psychologist in London and continues to engage in crosscultural mission with CMS. She learnt to dance salsa in New York 15 years ago. Saturday 10.00 G-Source Monday 11.00 Arena
Tango Workshop Tango Argentino offer Tango and Milonga workshops. Start with basics: hearing the beat, balance, movement, connection with your partner; then add some more moves. Come to the Milonga session to learn a much faster version! Club Tango Argentino Gloucester Club members dance all over the south west, south Wales, and beyond (including Buenos Aires). Their teachers are Lorenzo y Juanita (Laurie Moseley and Jan Cone). Milonga Sunday 13.00 G-Source Tango Monday 11.00 Workshops 2
Greenbelt 2010  83
visual arts. These are the arts of looking sideways. Hands off, hands on, here are works, ideas, and opportunities whose brilliance will dazzle. Art that will have you taking a second, third and fourth look. Can you believe your eyes? Just take a look at this...
Exhibitions Unless otherwise stated opening hours for all exhibitions are as follows: Friday 17.00 - 21.00 Saturday 10.00-18.00 Sunday 12.00-18.00 Monday 10.00-18.00
Articles of Hope, Adornments for Justice From the medals of suffragettes imprisoned for the cause, to white and red poppies, to the Make Poverty History wristband, mass justice movements have literally worn their heart on their sleeve – or lapel. This exhibition takes jewellery from frivolous glitter to campaign bling, as Manchester Jewellers Network interprets articles from the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights through artistic pieces of jewellery. So which human right would you choose to wear? Manchester Jewellers Network Manchester Jewellers Network was established in 2002 to support excellence in its field, exchange ideas and build up a reputation for its work through exhibitions. It intends to set a precedent for the broadening of exhibition venues available to contemporary jewellery and to provide opportunities for the general public to see innovative work in non-traditional settings. Those Three Rooms
Bobby Baker’s Diary Drawings Bobby began her diary drawings as a survival mechanism when diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. From
84 Greenbelt 2010
surrealism to classic life painting, through artistry and humour these 31 highquality photographic prints of watercolour paintings show the harrowing realities of living with mental illness and the joy of slowly getting better. Those Three Rooms
In addition, Bobby is taking part in the following Panel: How do you know what you know? See page 74 Saturday, 15:00, Big Top
Worship: Road to Recovery See page 93 Sunday 17.15, Those Three Rooms
Talks: Mad or What? See opposite. Monday 14.30 The Hub
Exclusive Bobby Baker prints are available as part of Art for All (see page 84).
Mirror Shards of mirror carpet the gallery space, while looped video creates a mysterious, ebbing visual effect. Based on The Little Mermaid, who becomes someone different but pays a painful price, Mirror alludes to the issues around self-image which continue to plague society. The Bible’s call, “Don’t compare yourself to others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best that you can with your own life” (Philippians), stands in sharp contrast. Shaeron Caton-Rose Shaeron works in a variety of media with a particular emphasis on printmaking, textiles and moving imagery in the context of installation art. Her work is informed by an interest in the beliefs and metanarratives interwoven in our society, whether through faith systems, myths or cultural norms. As a Christian, she has a particular desire to explore the spiritual nature of how we experience the world. Those Three Rooms
Photo Flash Swap Get along to The Hub to see the visual treats created by your fellow festivalgoers in Greenbelt’s open photo exhibition. Exhibitors should take their prints along to The Hub between 4pm and 6pm on Friday. Then at 6pm on Monday, everyone who has work on display will be be able to exchange it for one of the other prints in the show.
Sad...and Beautiful Place The townships around Cape Town, South Africa are sad and beautiful places. Gordon Ashbridge’s photographs capture the intensity of authentic humanity as anger at injustice mixes with dignity and hope in a realistic and challenging journey around one such township. Gordon Ashbridge Gordon Ashbridge is a photographer from Belfast, Northern Ireland. His artwork is inspired by the beauty of ordinary places and objects, and believes that these so-called mundane things have a deeper philosophical and spiritual significance. He published a book based on Sad...and Beautiful Place with writer Steve Stockman. Alongside the Jesus Arms
Mirror
Street Art
Come and watch Mr Penfold and Asboluv in action as they spray up and stencil our walls near the Arena and Mainstage.
Small Stories An exhibition of short story comics by Sally Jane Thompson focussing on the “small” stories of life that we all have to tell. A quiet corner with drawing supplies to tell your own stories, a small press comics reading library to be inspired by, and comic artists on hand to chat to. The Hub
Street Art Once again we have a number of street artists working on site producing pieces in response to the theme.
Street Child World Cup Teams of street children from eight countries came together in Durban in March 2010 for the first Street Child World Cup. As well as the football, art collaborators from the UK and South Africa worked with the children to create this unique and vibrant exhibition which tells their powerful stories. Momentum Arts Passionate about creativity, diversity and inclusion, Momentum Arts is a catalyst for social change. It engages, inspires and connects people
and communities in the east of England through creative arts initiatives, which are a powerful tool to initiate community cohesion. Box Office
This Earthly Tent While you were eating falafel at Greenbelt 2009, Martin Wilson was wandering the almost deserted campsite photographing empty tents. His sideways look at the festival had Martin asking if we are a bit like the children of Israel, wandering in the desert, living in tents, before we finally come to the promised land? On our way, but not quite home.
Visual Arts 85
Talks Bobby Baker Bobby Baker is a woman, and an artist. Among other things, she has made a life-size, tasty cake version of her family to be eaten by visitors and been driven around London on the back of a truck screaming at passers-by through a megaphone to “Pull Yourselves Together.”
Water Piano
Talks: Mad or What? Bobby talks about her life so far and the Diary Drawings exhibition. Monday 14.30 The Hub
Oliver West
1000 Peace Cranes
Martin Wilson Martin Wilson is an art director at a large publishing business who uses his eighteen-mile daily cycle commute to take pictures for his works, which have appeared in several exhibitions. His working method is labour-intensive: building images frame by frame, using photographic film. Each frame is taken sequentially, as you see it. One mistake or frame out of place means the film is re-shot from the beginning. Outside Those Three Rooms
Water Piano A pool of water replaces keys on the Water Piano. Invisible light waves are replicated in the ripples – making the invisible visible (and audible).
This development of Holly Yoon’s experimental Visible Sound project is inspired by natural phenomena, Wave and the Bible’s words, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). Holly Yoon Holly Yoon is a designer with an eastern cultural background and western education in design and engineering. He has always been interested in the point of contact between two different worlds, be it science meeting nature or technology meeting design. He is a co-founder of an interactive agency, Ninesixty, and works for a design and marketing company in London. Hall of Fame
Oliver West is an artist, university lecturer and visual thinking specialist based in Cornwall. Over the last twelve years Oliver has developed Footnotes, a portfolio of visual thinking strategies for learning and personal development. These techniques have benefitted visual thinkers and dyslexic learners in schools, universities and businesses worldwide. As well as helping individuals discover they are actually predominantly visual thinkers or would benefit from thinking in this way. In Search of Words – Visual Thinking in a Linear, Lexical World Our social institutions and education system rely heavily on words, both written and spoken, to convey information in a linear way. It is assumed this method of communication is universally effective. As a consequence, individuals feel marginalised if they have a bias towards creative, multi-layered and visual ways of thinking. These talks will offer a unique insight into the mind of a visual thinker. Saturday 14.30 The Hub
In Search of Words – Making the most of your Visual Thinking abilities Strongly dyslexic himself, Oliver West will reveal how and why visual thinkers think differently and talk about the Footnotes technique as an exciting and alternative learning tool that changes and challenges how we think. The technique allows individuals to flourish and has a unique edge in allowing young entrepreneurs to discover themselves and develop new-found skills. Through the flexibility of learning through visual terms the individual benefits from a heightened awareness of the self. Sunday 14.30 The Hub The third session by Oliver West is a Hands On session and is listed on page 86.
Peter Sanders Peter Sanders began his career as one of London’s leading photographers of rock musicians. In the late 1960s he embarked on a spiritual journey that would take him to the Holy City of Makkah where he photographed the Hajj at a time when few professional photographers had access to Islam’s holiest sanctuary. The art of integration A graceful and visually poetic reminder that Muslims have been a part of British life for well over a century and have made and continue to make an important contribution to the United Kingdom’s rich cultural diversity. Sunday 17.30 The Hub
86 Greenbelt 2010
Hands On (shhh!) A little moment of space on Saturday and Monday afternoons in The Hub to come and be creative – knitting, drawing, writing, reading, whatever – with a mellow DJ set playing in the background. But remember – Shhh! No talking, just creating. Some materials will be provided or bring your own. Matt Stevenson Matt Stevenson, a London DJ, has now turned his creative flair to music production. His first release, the compilation Landskapes, is the latest Grace album, which journeys through the genres of ambient rhythmic mixes of d&b, dub step and electronica. Look out for other music collaborations under the name of Digital Pilgrimz with producer DJ danJAHrous and cntrst.
Art for All Print by Bobby Baker Fancy a free limited edition artwork? Collect six different rubber stamps – from the six visual arts venues – on the special page in your Daily Diary. Then hurry to The Hub to collect your free specially commissioned print from artist Bobby Baker. While stocks last! Our little incentive to take in all that great art.
Big Collaborative Greenbelt Comic Everywhere Jesus went, the masses were there. And usually they hadn’t brought a packed lunch... Add your face to the Greenbelt crowd and help create a big, collaborative comic adventure to be published on Monday. We believe anyone can draw – so come and join in. All weekend The Hub
Saturday & Monday 19.00 The Hub
Comics Café 1000 Peace Cranes Come and make a paper peace crane and be part of a huge installation in The Hub. A Japanese idea says that in folding 1,000 peace cranes you fulfil a wish back to the universe. Artist Jay Gadhia originally used pages from scriptures to provoke thoughts on peace between religions. Together we can make just a few more than 1,000 at Greenbelt – what peaceful prayer will your crane carry? Jay Gadhia Jay’s art stems from his Indian heritage and cultural traditions as well as the influence of political and social issues. He is a big believer in art not being something one has to search for, but something that can be found on your own doorstep. He is also inspired by art being something that everyone can be involved with. All weekend The Hub
On Saturday night, The Hub’s comics corner moves into Greenhaus for an open house. Stop by to draw some comics, chat about and share your artwork, talk to comic artists, chill out with a comic from the small press reading library or take part in the Greenbelt Collaborative Comic. Saturday 20.00 Greenhaus Those Three Rooms
Greenhaus The Greenhaus is your chance to learn new things, work alongside interesting people, make something new and get your hands dirty, while taking a sideways look at the world. Classes include drawing, painting, calligraphy, printmaking and spray painting – plus the popular Greenbelt Self-Portrait. All materials provided. Sign up in The Hub each afternoon for the following day. It’s first come first served and usually oversubscribed,
so sign up early! Each session includes three classes.
In search of words – the skills of a picture thinker
Saturday
Oliver West (see page 83) hosts a fun, hands-on experience that will stimulate your inherent creative abilities and allow you to realise and develop your potential as a visual thinker. This workshop will reveal alternatives to traditional linear-lexical learning methods – so come and discover the skills of a picture thinker.
10.30–12.00 Printmaking, Creating Doodles from the Heart, Drawing from Scratch 12.30–14.00 I Draw To Know Myself Better, Calligraphy, Creating Doodles from the Heart 15.00–16.30 Please Tear Here..., Illuminated Capitals, SelfPortrait 17.00–18.30 Creating Doodles from the Heart (Group Painting), Self Portrait, Graffiti
Sunday 12.30–14.00 The Decorated Page, Printmaking, Graffitti 14.30–16.00 Self Portrait, Calligraphy, Please Tear Here... 16.30–18.00 Drawing from Scratch, Self-Portrait, I Draw To Know Myself Better
Monday 10.30–12.00 Printmaking, The Skills of a Picture Thinker, Please Tear Here... 12.30–14.00 Islamic Calligraphy, I Draw To Know Myself Better, The Skills of a Picture Thinker Greenhaus Those Three Rooms
Monday 10.30 Greenhaus Those Three Rooms
Woolly Thinking Cast off Grandma, knitting just got street! Come and get your knit on for an hour of all things knit, purl and just plain crafty. Including graffiti knitting – help make a secret yarn bombing installation that will pop up on Monday to make Greenbelt a little more warm and fuzzy. Sunday 13.00 The Hub
Greenbelt 2010 87
literature. Left to right. Right to left. Whichever way you read them, our lives are soaked in words from end to end. But the forms our reading and writing take are shifting, slipping sideways into new media all the time. Our literature programme is all this. And more.
Andrew Tate Andrew Tate is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Lancaster University. He is the author of three books, the most recent of which is The New Atheist Novel: Fiction, Philosophy and Polemic After 9/11, co-written with Arthur Bradley. Bringing the funny: Comedy It is a truth universally acknowledged that contemporary readers are too sceptical to believe in happy endings. But bestseller lists suggest we still demand them and we want to laugh, too. Andrew Tate considers the value of comic plots and their connections with the romance genre. Including funny bits from, among others, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, PG Wodehouse, Jonathan Coe and Nick Hornby. Friday 20.30 The Hub
Tragedy or, the World of Accidents Is there any such thing as tragedy in the 21st century? What use is an old literary term worn thin by tabloid headlines about everything from sporting defeat to starvation? Is it possible to speak of tragedy without shouting about – or at – God? Andrew Tate looks at the evolution of the tragic from Sophocles and Shakespeare to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and John Irving’s Last Night in Twisted River. Monday 10.00 The Hub
Deborah Fielding Since finishing her Creative Writing: Prose MA at UEA, Deborah Fielding has been writing short stories and linking them up. Deborah is fascinated by the relationships between
88 Greenbelt 2010
the arts: her current project, Two Lights, investigates the connection between the visual and written arts in its exploration of the paintings of Edward Hopper. Two Lights – Words or Pictures? Deborah Fielding reads from and talks about her writing, inspired by the paintings of 20th century US artist, Edward Hopper. Sunday 20.30 The Hub
Francis Spufford Francis Spufford is author of I May Be Some Time, a cultural history of the British obsession with polar exploring, The Child That Books Built, a memoir of a childhood as a compulsive reader, and Backroom Boys, a portrait of de-industrialisation as seen through the experience of engineers. He sees non-fiction as a literature which is as rich and important as the novel, and as open to ambitious thinking. The Child That Books Built What would you find if you went back and reread all of your favourite books from childhood? Discover the delight and sadness Francis Spufford found as he did just that. As he explores the many worlds that reading can take you to and investigates the literary origins and rich histories of his childhood library, Francis wonders whether we should always indulge our inordinate craving for narrative. Saturday 10.00 The Hub
I May Be Some Time – Ice and the English Imagination. What on earth could inspire so many men to brave unimaginable cold, hunger, fear, and physical danger in the planet’s most remote and forbidding locales? Spufford explores the British obsession with the world’s coldest and bleakest climes and exploration’s often unsavory ideological bedfellows, including Victorian views about class, race and empire. Saturday 17.30 The Hub
Greenbelt Book Club
Jo Ind
The Book Club returns. Meet and discuss fine books with friendly festivalgoers. Hosted by Ben Whitehouse.
Jo Ind is a writer for print and digital media. She is a deputy website editor for Maverick Television and a newspaper journalist. She had written two books Fat is a Spiritual Issue, about eating disorders, and Memories of Bliss, which concerns sexuality.
Star of the Morning Famous for her wit, beauty and energy, Lady Hester Stanhope (1776–1839) became the greatest woman traveller of her day. From Constantinople to Syria to making a home in the mountains of Lebanon, she loved the Arab world. When her clothes were lost in a shipwreck she dressed like a Turkish man, smoked a long water-pipe and the Bedouin, whose cause she championed, called her “Star of the Morning”. Saturday 16.00 The Hub
The Bridge of San Luis Rey This Pulitzer Prize-winning 1927 novel by Thornton Wilder follows a Franciscan missionary’s attempts to trace the lives of the five victims of a random tragedy in 1714 – the collapse of “the finest bridge in all Peru”. It is a parable of the struggle to find meaning in chance and inexplicable tragedy – a struggle many people face today. Indeed, Tony Blair quoted from the novel at a 9/11 memorial service. Sunday 16.00 The Hub
The First Person Ali Smith is a wonderful writer and in the short-story form her skills really zing. Smith has a knack for capturing conversations, pinning moments in a relationship and unlocking the process of writing a novel. There’s much here to delight and inspire, some of these stories will leave a smile in your mind. Monday 16.00 The Hub
The Hub Literary Quiz The Hub Literary Quiz returns to tickle your bookish grey cells into life. Like the little bear’s porridge this quiz is “just right” for allcomers and not in the least like re-sitting your English GCSE. Monday 20.30 The Hub
Revelation, Identity and Social Media What do we want to reveal of ourselves and what would we rather hide? What gets hidden despite our attempts to show ourselves and what do we show in our endeavour to conceal? Jo Ind examines these questions, asks what others they raise about the nature of God and demonstrates how social media and the world wide web amplify the issues. Monday 13.00 The Hub
Katherine Venn Katherine Venn spent her twenties working in publishing and then at 29 decamped to the fens to study at UEA for a creative writing masters degree, in poetry. She is currently working on her dissertation and is a frequent blogger. Tell the truth, but tell it slant How can poetry help us come at the truth from a different direction? And how can learning to look at life “slant” be a part of our spirituality? A look at how poetry might teach us about faith, suggesting a few landmarks for those wanting to journey deeper into poetic truth-telling. Monday 11.30 The Hub
Kathy Watson Kathy is a biographer, author of The Crossing – the story of Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English Channel; The Devil Kissed Her – a compassionate portrait of the children’s writer Mary Lamb who, in a fit of madness, killed her own mother; and Tales from Shakespeare. She is a freelance
feature writer and editor, teaches journalism at City University London, and swims several miles a week. Find a poem Discover the magic of language in a friendly, creative and cooperative setting. Teacher and writer Kathy Watson will guide you through a simple yet powerful poetry-creating exercise. No special skill required – for all ages and stages. Sunday 12.00 Workshops 1 Monday 12.00 Workshops 1
Landskapes Live A blend of chilled, ambient electronic beats, mixed with spoken samples, lazy house, dub step and DnB. Add in some poetry and spoken word with visual projections and experience the Landskapes of west London alt worship. Matt Stevenson heads a collective of DJs, musicians, poets, VJs and producers - all part of Grace, all licensed to chill. Featuring Roly Miller, Digital Pilgrimz, Rekreate, Dubb, Cntrst, and Electrik Café - pull up a beanbag and enjoy! Friday 22.00 The Hub
Paul Govan Paul Govan is a freelance writer working for a variety of mainstream and niche videogame websites. You can find him (among other places) on Wired magazine’s Geekdad blog and he helps run the Family Gamer Association website. Paul draws on the work of Walter Brueggemann and Stanley Hauerwas in his analysis of why we play video games and avoids making the Bible only respectable and reasonable, romantic, sentimental and nostalgic. Dark Stories in Safe Spaces Do games offer a valuable resource to engage with dark or taboo topics? Video games can provide a safe play-space in which we can explore our
Literature 89
responses to potentially frightful and scary topics – abandonment, loss, death, abuse and war. Saturday 13.00 The Hub
Poetry Slam A fast, fun and furious spoken word event in which Greenbelters will battle it out with words, rhythms and (some) rhymes to try and become Greenbelt Slam Champion 2010. This year promises to be just as busy and interesting as the previous slams. Come along to perform or to listen – just don’t miss it. Poetry workshop Saturday 11.30 The Hub Poetry Slam Saturday 20.30 The Hub
Roger McGough Roger was awarded his OBE for services to poetry in 1997 and more recently a CBE. He was recently honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool. His latest poetry volume is That Awkward Age and, for children, Slapstick. He has a live concert CD, Lively. His autobiography, Said And Done, explores overnight fame with Lily The Pink, The Scaffold and Yellow Submarine which he helped write for the Beatles. That Awkward Age Miracle birth of a new collection and an afternoon of poems to amaze and delight! McGough wrestles with mortality, seeks love in the launderette, perspires in the Foreign Legion and jives in Macca’s trousers. He shares the pain of Lord Godiva and Mr Nightingale, considers his Final Poem and shakes a fist at
Alzheimer’s. Addresses, elegies and ever perceptive playfulness make this a must-see. Aimed at adults and teenagers alike. Monday 13.00 Centaur
Tickling in Public Cookson and Henderson, with their poetic Gang Show, see how many of you they can cram under the canvas before the fire officer complains. Like all the great double acts - Eric and Ernie, Vic and Bob, Duran and Duran, these backstreet bards keep getting better, and unlike Nureyev and Fonteyn... you can join in. With new stuff and seasoned standards, you will be thrilled by their verbal dexterity, awed by their dress sense, and amazed by the glam rock ukulele.
Paul Cookson and Stewart Henderson Paul Cookson and Stewart Henderson are both working poets. Paul has written over forty collections of children’s poetry, and is Poet in Residence at the National Football Museum. Stewart’s poems have been widely anthologised, he has written songs with Martyn Joseph over the past 18 years, and regularly appears on BBC Radio 4.
Monday 15.00 Bethlehem
Roger McGough
90 Greenbelt 2010
worship & spirituality. God said to Moses: “you cannot see my face and live.” So our task is set: to search for God without looking straight at God. We might be surprised by where and when the divine can be traced. And, if we fix our attention on this search faithfully enough, we might just glimpse God – out of the corner of our eye.
Communion Glancing at God Sunday Morning gathering from 10.00
Festival communion starts 10.30
God is the ground of our being, but somehow outside our direct line of vision. We only get glimpses of glory and hints of heaven. The holy often lives on the sidelines of our lives and catches us when we’re not looking and are unaware and unprepared. This year’s communion uses sound and vision to stimulate our thoughts of God and find other ways to see into the beyond. As we gather on Sunday at Mainstage, we’ll be taking a sideways look at the world
around us and hoping to catch sight of the divine in unexpected ways. We’ll be engaging in both corporate acts and individual moments, sharing bread and wine, creating art and music as we celebrate the God who is in all, above all and who lies hidden around us... on the edge of our vision, just past our expectations. BEYOND and the Greenbelt team have pulled together songwriter Stuart Townend, writer and theologian Maggi Dawn, former President of the Baptist Union Rev Kate Coleman, and a choir and orchestra to produce a feast of images, words and music as Mainstage becomes our sanctuary for an hour on Sunday morning. Preparation As you arrive at Mainstage for 10.00am (the earlier you are,
Worship & Spirituality 91
the less likely you are to be sideways on to the action), form into groups of around 20 and collect a “worship bag” for your group from one of the stewards. This will contain everything you need for the service. Accessibility For large print copies of the service sheet or if you would like non-alcoholic or gluten-free options, please ask a steward before the service starts.
Across Site Accord Beautiful music, creatively arranged and spiritually focused: Accord specialises in exploring the gap between contemporary and traditional Christian music. Members of Accord have sung with a variety of professional groups including Polyphony, BBC Singers, the Academy of Ancient Music, and with various UK cathedral and collegiate choirs, and are involved in leading worship through music in a diverse range of settings. Choral Evensong The timeless form of Evensong found in Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer is the setting for Accord’s beautiful a capella arrangements of contemporary worship music as well as traditional choral music. Sunday 17.00 Workshops 2
Agents of Future A bunch of Jesus-loving, jalopygospellers get together and do creative things: shrieking, speaking, flailing, failing, storytelling, fear-quelling. In the process, songs and stories are smithed and written, friendships and families are stretched and shaken, stirred and strengthened. Best of all, on frequent occasions, we see entombed voices raisin’ and we peek through the haze. Total Giant Times Bringing together the whole family once again, Agents of Future dare to include beyond the boundaries and set the elitism engine into “permanent malfunction” mode, drawing from the spiritual benefits of play, story and song. This paradoxical parade will explore new depths of disciplined discovery. Monday 09.00 Underground
Andy Flannagan Andy Flannagan is director of the Christian Socialist Movement. It exists to be a prophetic voice to left-sided politics and the church, encouraging Christians to see politics as mission. A driving passion is to see a just re-wiring of the global economic system. His new worship songs and resources are available free from www.andyflan.com. Organic Worship Feet firmly in the dirt and hands possibly in the air. It can be both/and rather than either/ or. Justice-themed, politicallyaware, Spirit-filled. Saturday 09.30 Big Top
Beer and Hymns Refreshing on all counts, not least its astonishingly clear name, it’s a worship event that does what it says on the tinny. For those who need the ingredients spelled out, there’s beer. And hymns. That’s it. OK, possibly a piano. Did we mention the beer? And the hymns? Oh, and perhaps the most soulswelling, spine-tingling sound you’re likely to hear all weekend. Saturday 13.00 Jesus Arms
Living the Questions – an alternative to Alpha A discussion forum about the meaning of Christianity in the 21st century and how it can shape our lives today – includes clips from an exciting DVD and web-based course in progressive Christianity, a panel of Greenbelt speakers and audience discussion. Led by Dave Tomlinson. Saturday 19.00 Winged Ox Sunday 19.00 Winged Ox Monday 19.00 Winged Ox
Church of England Liturgical Commission The Liturgical Commission is responsible for the development of the Church of England’s liturgy. Over the last five years, through its Transforming Worship website and training programme, it has sought to help people learn how to develop better worship and lead it in ways that are inclusive and visionary. All-Age Worship – Looking in from the Side A service to support us as we think about sharing faith with people who have heard of Jesus but can’t make out what to think about him. Monday 09.00 Hebron
All-Age Worship – Looking out to the Side A service that will support our new understandings as we prepare to leave Greenbelt and go home. Monday 17.00 Workshops 2
Deaf Worship The deaf community at Greenbelt worships, celebrates and communicates with British Sign Language (BSL). British Sign Language has its own theatre, its own storytelling genres, its own art and culture. And it’s here at Greenbelt. The medium is not sound waves and music. It’s visual. It uses the whole body. It uses movement, and it’s vibrant and welcoming. Eyes Wide Open Signed Worship Saturday 09.00 Hebron
Engage Worship engageworship.org is a new ministry of the Music and Worship Foundation, run by Sam and Sara Hargreaves. The website has free-todownload worship ideas (such as visuals, prayerstations, mp3s, meditations). The team (and a growing number of creative co-conspirators) also provides training for local
92 Greenbelt 2010
churches, and leads musical and creative worship at places like Spring Harvest, New Wine, London School of Theology and Youthwork the Conference. Engaging Worship Innovative, creative and interactive – the engageworship. org team mash music inspired by bands like Cinematic Orchestra and Sigur Ros against contemporary and ancient songs, with spoken word, visuals and whatever you bring! Saturday 09.30 Underground
Developing interactive/ unfinished church worship Why is church a monologue of one or two people telling us how to worship, think and act, while the media is bursting with interactivity, user-generated creativity and community? Explore how to facilitate creative and indigenous worship that sees everyone as a potential worship leader. Saturday 13.00 Workshops 2
GothGB Fr Alex Gowing-Cumber brought the cyber-feminist Eucharist to Greenbelt in 2000 and since 2003 has celebrated the Goth Eucharist here with the help of other ordained colleagues, chiefly Rev Paul Cudby, drawing on the beauty of the Book of Common Prayer whilst preaching on challenging themes. Recently they have been joined by Craig Gilman, Digital Youth Adviser for Birmingham Diocese and President of Ulfilas Christian Goth International. Goth Eucharist A group of Anglican priests, musicians and their friends, infuenced by goth culture, return to Greenbelt, their spiritual home, for a traditional celebration of the eucharist with an alternative twist. Saturday 23.15 Underground
Grace
L’Arche
Messy Church
Creativity, participation, engagement and risk are the hallmarks of Grace, a Christian community/network based in Ealing, west London. “An authentic offering of worship to God out of who we are,” Grace is shaped by the people in it and changes and moves on as the ideas of the group interplay with the Christian tradition, what they sense God is calling them to at that time, and shifts in our culture.
Founded by Jean Vanier, L’Arche is a movement where people with and without learning disabilities share life in communities belonging to an international federation (there are nine in the UK). Mutual relationships and trust in God are at the heart of this journey. We celebrate the unique value of every person and recognise our need for one another. L’Arche welcomes people to share this transformational experience.
Messy Church has been happily introducing mess (and cake) into the church since 2004. There are now hundreds of Messy Churches all over the UK and overseas, helping families who have no other church connection to discover the fun of following Jesus together. Church around creativity, hospitality and celebration: what is there not to like?
Be/Do To be or to do? What is your attitude? Can we decode the message? Can we see the truth? Can you see the real Christ? Monday 12.00 Big Top
King/Cave project The King/Cave project has quickly established itself on the London jazz scene and within the church. In a musical landscape full of barriers, Cave and King see a gap in every hedge: you can always sneak through, and maybe take a friend. Cave’s first “band” was a cathedral choir; King was raised among the Bedfordshire Strict Baptists. The King/Cave project is about finding ways to marry traditions like those. Thomas Mass – A Jazz Service The first Thomas Mass was held in Helsinki, Finland, in spring 1988. Since then the Thomas Mass has stood for all that is most attractive on the Nordic worship scene. Provision and preparation is on a lavish scale. Artistry and passion, tradition and experiment are in evidence everywhere. At the heart of the concept are prayer and welcome. A beautiful, large-scale worship event. Friday 20.00 Big Top
And the Water Overflows Meeting Jesus with our friend, the Samaritan woman. A time of inclusive prayer and reflection with the communities of L’Arche.
Messy Church: Who am I? An all-age, creative way to have fun exploring the Bible and celebrating God’s goodness together. Come and enjoy crafts, a short celebration time with story and song, and a snack time. Saturday 16.30 Messy Space
Be Quiet and You’ll Hear Come and join the communities of L’Arche as together we will tell the story of how Elijah heard God’s voice in a surprising way.
Messy Church: Following Jesus An all-age, creative way to have fun exploring the Bible and celebrating God’s goodness together. Come and enjoy crafts, a short celebration time with story and song, and a snack time.
Sunday 13.00 Workshops 2
Sunday 16.30 Messy Space
Saturday 19.45 Bethlehem
London Catholic Worker
OuterSpace
The international Catholic Worker movement started in 2000, and works towards pacifist, and communal anarchist aims. As well as prayerful protests, the London branch run houses of hospitality for refugees, community cafés, and soup kitchens. They believe First World Christians should repent from privileges and comforts, to resist injustice and violence.
A group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Christians at Greenbelt, committed to the church, and to affirming LGBT identity. OuterSpace offers time for people to talk, reflect and pray, welcoming anyone to engage with them in a spirit of respect and openness.
Roman Catholic Mass: The Word became flesh and exploded amongst us Worship, in the spirit of the radical Catholic Worker movement, the God of Life, the God of the Poor who was crucified for non-violent resistance to injustice and violence. Saturday 17.00 Workshops 2
Where are the altars now? And who are the priests? When a civilisation turns, we might not find God in the old familiar places. So where do we start looking? A time of exploration for LGBT people and their friends. Sunday 20.00 Workshops 2
OuterSpace Eucharist OuterSpace invite you to join them for a eucharist, where we can be who we are and discover who we’re called to be, alongside our brothers and sisters. Monday 13.00 Workshops 2
Worship & Spirituality 93
Pray & Play
Sanctuary
Spirited Exchanges UK
Stuart Townend
Pray & Play is a small group of Christian parents who need to engage in prayer and Bible study as adults, but with others who understand when you need to feed / change / talk to / play with your baby or toddler at the same time. They meet roughly fortnightly for tea, cake, Bible study, prayer and chat while their children play at their feet, sometimes join in and regularly demand more cake!
Sanctuary are an all-age group seeking to explore and build Christian community. This takes the shape of meeting together regularly for worship, Bible study, discussion, art events and food. Now in their 11th year, Sanctuary are based in Bath and are regular contributors to Greenbelt. All are welcome to join them and they have a blog at sanctuarybath.wordpress.com
Spirited Exchanges is for people who are grappling with faith and church issues. It provides support for many who have left the institutional church and need a safe space to explore questions and doubts about their beliefs. They are often transitioning beyond previous faith paradigms. An important part of that process is meeting and talking with others experiencing similar issues and so find ways forward for themselves.
Stuart is known and respected around the world as one of the leading worship songwriters of his generation. The depth of lyrical and theological content in songs such as In Christ alone, How Deep the Father’s Love, The Power of the Cross and Beautiful Saviour have caused some to draw comparisons with the greats of previous generations such as Watts and Wesley.
Pray & Play Creative prayer and gentle Bible study (lectio divina) for grownups in baby/child-friendly small groups. Kids can join in or play as they prefer. Tea and biscuits too! Monday 09.00 Messy Space Monday 15.00 Messy Space
Quakers Quakers believe that there is something of God in every person; that God will speak to us if we wait in stillness; that experience of the divine is not dependent on external rituals or symbols; and that spirituality is about the whole of life. From these basic beliefs flow our testimonies (ways of living) such as peace, equality and simplicity. Cheltenham Quaker Meeting is part of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain. Quaker Meeting for Worship Everyone is welcome to join local Quakers in a silent Meeting for Worship for about an hour. Saturday 09.00 Workshops 2 Monday 09.00 Workshops 2
Road to Recovery An interactive meditation using Bobby Baker’s exhibition of Diary Drawings as a series of “stations”. Led by Dave Tomlinson and Malcolm Doney. (For more about the exhibition, see Visual Arts section) Sunday 17.15 Bobby Baker exhibition – Those Three Rooms
All-Age Communion Service Sanctuary will be hosting a short all-age participative communion service, suitable for children of all ages and adults who are happy to participate and join in. Saturday 09.00 Messy Space
Exploring the Examen Discover the Examen installation based in Messy Space during this all-age service. You will also have the chance to contribute to the installation. Sunday 09.00 Messy Space
Serum Serum is a spirituality discussion group for anyone who likes talking about big topics (and they don’t come much bigger than God!). The discussions are relaxed, taking place over a coffee, and are especially appropriate if you wouldn’t describe yourself as a Christian, or would feel uncomfortable doing so. Saturday 12.30 Winged Ox Sunday 12.30 Winged Ox Monday 12.30 Winged Ox
Silent Pilgrimage A reflective journey around the festival site; discovering moments of reflection, celebration and blessing held within the common framework of the site around us all. To find out more see page 10. Friday 18.00–22.00 Saturday 10.00–18.00 Sunday 12.00–18.00 Monday 10.00–18.00 Collect headphones at the Angels Lounge (£10 refundable deposit)
Can’t do faith like this anymore? Uncomfortable with beliefs and practices that no longer hold up? Meet up with others in similar faith space to talk through the issues and learn from each other. Saturday 21.00 Winged Ox
What does it all mean? Open-ended, safe space for informal conversation and exploration of the issues around changing faith paradigms. Meet up with others in a similar space. Bring your questions and doubts. Sunday 21.00 Winged Ox
Spontaneous Worship In unknown places and at surprising times worship will be happening around the festival. A variety of groups will lead a simple act of worship in some unusual locations. So, if you see a large umbrella with “Spontaneous” written on it then be prepared to worship – it may happen... Any place, any time...
Creation Sings Fresh from their successful Creation Sings tour, worship songwriter Stuart Townend, jazz pianist Mark Edwards and band bring a unique mixture of jazz and folk to Greenbelt. With Bob McKay on sax and whistles, Joseph Townend on drums, Matt Weeks on double bass and Julian Ferraretto on violin. Sunday 19.00 Centaur
Taizé Worship “Nothing is more conducive to communion with the Living God than a meditative common prayer with singing that never ends, but continues in the silence of one’s heart, when one is alone again” – Brother Roger of Taizé. This is a reflective service of song, scripture and silence following the form and using the music of the Taizé community. Sunday 22.00 Big Top
Transcendence Transcendence could be compared to walking inside a stained glass window. The planning team from Visions and York Minster took the communion liturgy, some beautiful singers, some robes, processions, multisensory prayer activities, and a huge pile of incense, stuck them in a blender and then enjoyed experiencing the results! Since 2007 the congregation has grown rapidly, and a huge variety of visitors have come from near and far.
94 Greenbelt 2010
Transcendence – An AncientFuture Mass Transcendence combines York Minster’s worship skills with Visions’ multimedia technology. This Eucharistic journey blends stunning images with ancient chants, futuristic ambience with heavenly choristers, hymns with beats and creative prayer. Sunday 21.30 Centaur
Wild Goose Resource Group/Holy City The Wild Goose Resource Group (John L Bell, Jo Love and Graham Maule) are known at Greenbelt and around the world for their thoughtful and stimulating work in developing songs and liturgies that address issues of contemporary faith and society. Based in Glasgow, they work with Holy City, a monthly workshop and worship event that seeks to engage people in creative and imaginative ways and to stimulate an intelligent, committed spirituality. Big Sing You might not be Pavarotti, but if you’ve got a tongue in yer heid ye can sing. Make a magical sound with John L Bell, his Wild Goose and Holy City chums and a thousand other people in the democratically magnificent, musical delight that is the Big Sing. Only naked voices are allowed, to sing the songs of the people of God from around the world. Saturday 19.00 Jerusalem
Wild Goose @ Holy City A capella song, contextual prayer and symbolic action make up a participative liturgy in the progressive, questioning tradition of Wild Goose. In collaboration with the planning group of the Glasgow monthly event, Holy City. Saturday 22.00 Hebron
Morning Worship (with Christian Aid) Join Christian Aid and Wild Goose in song and creative prayer for a morning service
themed around Christian Aid’s Trace the Tax campaign. Monday 09.30 Big Top
Worship Conversations Come and eavesdrop on conversations between leaders and practitioners about emerging forms of church and worship. Facilitated by a host, these chats are a chance to hear the debates around big issues and current trends, from art, to new monastacism, to curation and justice. In the bag? Is the emerging church dead? Join Ian Mobsby and other practitioners as they breathe life into the dry old bones. Saturday 14.00 Winged Ox
Endless re-runs... What’s the value of repetitive liturgy compared to doing it new every time? Maggi Dawn hosts a conversation exploring whether liturgical spontaneity has a theological downside. Saturday 15.00 Winged Ox
World making: curating spaces for encounter. Join Jonny Baker and practitioners as they have a conversation around the notion of “curating” worship. Sunday 14.00 Winged Ox
Art for Mission’s Sake Join Ben Edson for a conversation exploring whether art can retain its authenticity when used for mission. Sunday 15.00 Winged Ox
Prophetic voice or passing fad? Ian Adams hosts a conversation exploring whether intentional community has a role to play in the reimagining of church in contemporary society. Monday 14.00 Winged Ox
Worship or liberation? Has the Fresh Expressions movement been more interested in attracting people back to church, rather than building the kingdom of God’s justice and peace? Join Chris Howson for the discussion. Monday 15.00 Winged Ox
Abide Ecology and spirituality come together in our new meditative worship venue - Abide. Abide is a simple, low tech venue with services and meditations that we hope will enable the participant to encounter God in both the simplicity of the venue and the complexity of the created order. The worship programmed will explore our relationship with the created order and through that the creator God. The relationship between our faith and ecology come together in this reflective new venue.
A Rocha A Rocha UK is a Christian environmental charity which seeks the transformation of people and places through a movement of individuals and communities caring for God’s world. Both practical conservation initiatives and environmental education are at the heart of A Rocha’s mission. We work with churches and individuals, inspiring and equipping them, and harnessing their enthusiasm as we care for God’s world together. For God So Loved The World... “We believe that our care for creation needs to be rooted in and to reflect our love for the Creator God.” A Rocha UK lead a creative meditation on Jesus Christ, the one “by whom and for whom all things were created” (Colossians 1). (NB This session will be bikepowered.) Sunday 22.00 Abide
Bike-Powered Worship Unplugged from the mains, and reliant on bike-power, this session will provide a chance to contemplate your impact on and role in God’s creation as we provide images and words to stimulate your worship. Monday 17.00 Abide
Bruce Stanley Bruce Stanley ran away from the circus to become a life coach and run embody.co.uk, an umbrella for creative project development. He and food guru and product developer Sara Stanley are creating a permaculture forest garden in Aberystwyth. Foraging With The Earth God With a move towards smallscale horticultural production might we re-discover our relationship with God as an earth God in contrast to the sky God of the agricultural age? And if we are to demonstrate environmental regeneration rather than mere sustainability, then our spirituality will be key and will an earth God be more helpful than a sky God? Saturday 14.00 Abide
Center for Action and Contemplation UK Founded by Franciscan Father Richard Rohr in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Center for Action and Contemplation exists to help people tap into and trust their deepest spiritual intuitions and bring their passion to the world, learning how to integrate a contemplative lifestyle with compassionate service/action. ACUK (Action/Contemplation UK) works to spread this message and mission to such spiritual seekers in the UK. Walking Softly – A Reflection on the Footprint We Leave Behind Join us as we reflect on the poetics of our individual and collective footprints: how we can be regenerated by paying radical attention to the natural world around us... we can preserve nature, but nature can save us! Saturday 19.00 Abide
Our Suffering Earth, A Time to Lament Our earth and her inhabitants are suffering. Join us for a period of lamentation as we individually and collectively hold and release this suffering through prayer and ritual. Sunday 14.00 Abide
Worship & Spirituality 95
Contemplative Fire
Laurence Freeman
Contemplative Fire is a movement and a re-imagination, a journey in unknowing and knowing. A community of Christ at the edge, with 120 Companions on the Way, it has non-residential communities and small groups in the UK and Canada. “Travelling Light, Dwelling Deep”, the community’s rhythm of life, encouraging contemplative practice, creative practice and compassionate practice, is based upon the Celtic trinitarian trefoil.
Father Laurence Freeman is a Benedictine monk and teaches meditation in the Christian tradition around the world. Close to his heart is the integration of contemplation and action, the spiritual education of the young and friendship between different faiths. His books include The Selfless Self and Jesus: The Teacher Within.
Travel Light, Dwell Deep Hang Drums’ gentle sounds, didgeridoo and drone, Lord’s Prayer body prayer, simple psalm chant, leading into stillness. Philip Roderick and Contemplative Fire create safe, strong space. Saturday 15.00 Abide Monday 11.30 Abide
EarthAbbey EarthAbbey is a neo-monastic community, whose members dedicate themselves to encourage one another to journey towards a life more in tune with the earth. It is based on a contemplative Christian spirituality and is taking forward a range of practical projects, including a national campaign called Grow Zones, where people work in teams to turn each other’s gardens over to edible produce grown on permaculture principles. The parable of the soils A meditation based around the soil as a metaphor for the human soul, and its receptivity to the divine, based on the words of the contemplative Christ. Friday 20.00 Abide
Bread on the hillside Meditating on a vision for society living in response to the abundance of creation, based on the words of the contemplative Christ. Saturday 17.00 Abide
Inner and Outer Christian worship is more than what it seems. It is more than just a way of a group defining itself. It expresses a universal event: there is a liturgy of heaven, of the altar – and of the heart. We will explore the place of meditation in worship to realise its full enlivening and transforming potential. Saturday 09.00 Abide
In Spirit and In Truth What does Jesus mean that the “Father wants worshippers in spirit and truth”? Why has Christian liturgy lost its contemplative dimension and why are so many Christians unaware of the worship that is a shared, faith-filled silence? Sunday 21.00 Abide
Healing Liturgy Worship leads to wholeness. But Jesus says “your left hand should not know what your right is doing”. Worship without freedom of the spirit can be heartless and boring. If it’s only happy-clappy it can lack depth. How can we be open to the Spirit within the structures? Let us explore how the silent prayer of the heart can release real joy and open depth. Monday 15.00 Abide
Moot Moot is an emerging and newmonastic community in the City of London that seeks to make connections and find inspirations in the meeting of faith, life and culture. The community seeks to live a Christian spiritual rhythm of life through practising presence, acceptance, creativity, balance, accountability and hospitality.
The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos Our imagination can become the place where our personal story meets the gospel story. In this worship-meditation event, the Moot community will utilise a creative and prayerful approach that draws on all the senses to explore Christ’s mystical interaction with nature. Saturday 12.00 Abide
The Cosmic Voyage of “Human Becoming” As God is mystically connected as a Trinity of persons that sustains all life and matter, so we are beckoned to journey into the depth of who we are in self-discovery. This worshipmeditation will draw on a centring prayer meditation, followed by the ancient Examen approach to contemplation, seeking God in the details of our lives. Sunday 19.30 Abide
Encountering God through the Spirit, Nature and Life Be still and know that I am God, But how shall I think about God and what is God? In this final worship-meditation event, participants will be encouraged to explore their experience of God through an ancient breath prayer followed by Ignatian meditation. Monday 13.00 Abide
Salesians of Don Bosco Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) are members of a religious order within the Roman Catholic Church who minister to and with young people. Their objective is the holistic growth of the young person. They strive to achieve this by providing a home where people feel welcomed, a playground to meet friends, a school to learn and grow, and a church where people can encounter God. A Matter of the Heart God moves us from deep within. Exploring our changing moods with loving attention can help them to become signs of God’s presence in our daily lives. Sunday 16.00 Abide
A Matter of the Heart God moves us from deep within. Exploring our changing moods with loving attention can help them to become signs of God’s presence in our daily lives. Monday 10.00 Abide
Soul Space, St Luke’s Soul Space is a monthly service led by Dave Tomlinson and friends at St Luke’s Church in North London. To life! To life! L’chaim! A holy feast of gratitude for a glorious, fragile world. Friday 19.00 Abide
Where there’s muck, there’s God Practicing the presence of divine Spirit in every grain of dirt, every ounce of breath, every living moment, every scrap of earth. God bless this mess! Saturday 21.00 Abide
StillPoint Rooted in the Christian contemplative way, and engaging with other spiritual traditions and the arts, StillPoint nurtures the experiential practice of spirituality in and for our fast-changing world. Based in the city of Oxford and on the coast-moor edge of southwest England, StillPoint is a project of Matt Rees and Ian Adams. Rooted in Earth Explore simple prayer practices rooted in our relationship to the planet. This session works with the place of earth in human experience and prayer. Friday 22.00 Abide
Water Explore simple prayer practices rooted in our relationship to the planet. This session works with the place of water in human experience and prayer. Sunday 18.00 Abide
96 Greenbelt 2010
Tess Ward Tess is a hospital chaplain and celebrant in Oxford and writer of The Celtic Wheel of the Year. She celebrates the Celtic seasonal calendar as well as the Christian one and combines both to create ceremonies for people’s ages and stages, finding grounding and renewing in the natural cycle of living, dying and rebirth. Her book of liturgies from cradle to grave will be out next year. You do not have to be good We will keep silence and we will share words of belonging to earth and spirit by Tess Ward and poets such as Mary Oliver, David Whyte, John O’Donohue and Rumi. Saturday 11.00 Abide
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you We will keep silence and we will share words of belonging to earth and spirit by Tess Ward and poets like Mary Oliver, David Whyte, John O’Donohue and Rumi. Monday 09.00 Abide
Soul Space A place to be still and to pray; a place to worship and meet with God; a place to share the journey. Soul Space is here with a blend of the familiar and the different to help you find inner quiet; space and time to find God.
Power in the Name – Praying the Jesus Prayer Practical introduction to this ancient, simple and powerful way of praying. A gift for those struggling to pray in the frantic distractions of our age. Includes making our own Jesus Prayer ropes and praying the prayer together.
Touching the Sacred Using one of Chris Thorpe’s liturgies written in response to Jake Lever’s icon-like images of hands inspired by biblical figures and sequences, this session will include reflections, silence, music, readings, prayers and anointing. Friday 19.00 Soul Space
Saturday 21.00 Soul Space
Andrew Maries As consultant for liturgy and music in Exeter Diocese and director of Keynote Trust, Andrew Maries works to encourage and stimulate understanding of music and worship at every level and across every style and tradition. He has regularly facilitated music days in and around cathedrals across the country with the aim of bringing the many strands of worship music together in a rich and complementary tapestry.
Gail and Ian Adams Gail and Ian Adams look after the see:change project. Gail is a personal development mentor working with groups and individuals. Ian is a writer and artist working on themes of spirituality, culture and community. He co-founded the mayBe community in Oxford and is an Anglican priest.
Worship without Words So much of worship is wordy. Come and find stillness in worship using a number of liturgical phases each accompanied by live or recorded music and using simple symbolic action.
Spiritual Practices for Disturbing Times Explore patterns, practices and rituals for keeping your balance when everything threatens to overwhelm. Drawing on ancient traditions and contemporary learning, this session looks for earthy-spiritual practices for everyday life.
Friday 21.00 Soul Space
Friday 20.00 Soul Space
David Runcorn David Runcorn is or has been a fast bowler, vicar, accordionist, hermit and chicken keeper. After working full time in theological and ministry training for some years he is now a speaker, writer, retreat leader and teacher in areas of spirituality, Christian leadership and spiritual direction. Sexuality and the Sacred Sexuality is a gift at the heart of what it means to be spiritual, human and created in the image of God. This workshop explores praying as embodied and passionate beings. Saturday 20.00 Soul Space
Music of Descent and Ascent A contemplative space with ritual, image and music (jazz, contemporary classical, world) reflecting on the place of descent and ascent in human experience and the god-story. Saturday 23.00 Soul Space
Jake Lever and Chris Thorpe Jake Lever is an artist based in Cheltenham and Chris Thorpe is an Anglican priest based in Shropshire. They have collaborated to create Touching the Sacred – Art and Prayer to Inspire Worship, a collection of liturgies written by Chris in response to prints made by Jake. This book, with an accompanying CD of images, is being launched at Greenbelt 2010.
Listening Prayer A trained and experienced team offering reflective listening and prayer ministry are available if you would like someone to pray with you or offer prayer for you. Saturday 10.00–16.30 Soul Space Sunday 12.00–16.30 Soul Space Monday 10.00–16.30 Soul Space
Mark Yaconelli, Andy Dreitcer, Frank Rogers Mark Yaconelli is an author, speaker, and retreat leader. Andy Dreitcer is the director of spiritual formation and associate professor of Christian spirituality at Claremont School of Theology in Southern California. Frank Rogers is a professor of spiritual life and narrative pedagogy at Claremont School of Theology in Southern California. The following sessions are all related to one another and it is recommended that attendees come to all three. Priority will be given to people who have attended previous sessions. Loving your enemy part 1: the nature of love and hatred Ghandi once said that the genius of Christianity is the revelation that it is possible to love your enemy. This workshop will explore the physiology, psychology, and theology of loving enemies as a spiritual path for personal healing and compassionate action. Saturday 18.00 Soul Space
Worship & Spirituality 97
Loving your enemy part 2: the enemy within Through lecture, drama, discussion, and spiritual exercise, this session explores our internal responses to those who frighten, shame, and anger us. Instead of forcing feigned civility for our enemies, we will engage in a process that nurtures authentic feelings of compassion toward our enemies. Sunday 18.00 Soul Space
Loving your enemy part 3: compassionate action Using drama, spiritual exercises, lecture and discussion to explore the nature of authentic reconcilliation and compassionate action. How do we reconcile with our enemies without sacrificing our own personal power, integrity, and wellbeing? Monday 18.00 Soul Space
Molten Meditation Born out of a desire to spend quality time with God in an immersive and music-based environment, Molten Meditiation uses contemplative, ambient music to relax the mind and body, combined with reading scripture to produce a rich and reflective time of personal prayer and worship. Based in the wilds of Norfolk, Molten Meditation has produced three albums of meditations and a DVD featuring some of the visualisations used in the services. Early Starter Start your day with an uplifting bowl of Molten Meditation. Full of the music and scripture that your body and soul needs to take you right through ‘til lunch. Each morning this half-hour meditation is packed with enough goodness to fill up even the most empty of souls. So shake off the sleepy dust, stretch out those stiff muscles and relax with us into the start of your day. Saturday, Sunday, Monday 08.30 Soul Space
Music for Meditation Session One Beginnings and endings: space to reflect with music, silence and words Friday 22.00 Soul Space
Session Two Time and Tide: meditations with celtic harp music, exploring boundaries and our journeys into the unknown, with harper Alison Eve and friends Sunday 22.00 Soul Space
Orthodox Parish of St John of Kronstadt The Orthodox Parish of St John of Kronstadt was founded in Bath in 1980. Up to 70 people of all ages and a number of nationalities worship in a house chapel, and services are in English. They seek to emulate their patron saint, St John of Kronstadt, a married parish priest serving near St Petersburg in the 19th century. His powerful ministry combined charismatic worship and service to the poor. Orthodox Vespers As the sun sets, join the daily evening service of the Orthodox Church, during which we worship Jesus Christ as the light of creation and the light of our lives. Sunday 20.00 Soul Space
Rhythm of God Rhythm of God, a part of the Psalm Drummers network, meets monthly by candlelight at Tanworth in Arden church, south of Birmingham. A mixed age/ability group with a particular focus on using rhythm as a way of contemplating and meditating on scripture. Among the group are vicars, pastors, teenagers, mothers, fathers and anyone who wishes to explore rhythm as a new way of praying and meditating. Rhythm of God: Contemplative Prayer Drumming Words have rhythms and by capturing those we can use
rhythm to help us to pray and meditate on scripture. Bring a drum (or just a box!) and join in. Monday 19.00 Soul Space
Spiritual Direction We have a team of trained and experienced spiritual directors on hand to accompany you for a short while on your journey. Come in at any time to make an appointment and often there will be spiritual directors available to talk to you immediately. Saturday 10.00-16.30 Soul Space Sunday 12.00-16.30 Soul Space Monday 10.00-16.30 Soul Space
The Well The Well derives its name and style from a monthly night service that takes place in Tanworth in the West Midlands. Mixing the contemporary with the traditional this is a reflective service which finds its home in Soul Space. Reflective Eucharist A different pathway through the eucharist. Come and join us for our popular communion, with plenty of space for reflection. Led by Rev Paul Cudby, with music from nChant. Sunday 21.00 Soul Space
Prayer times Sue Mayfield Sue Mayfield is a Cheltenhambased writer best known for her award-winning novels for teenagers, several of which deal with themes of bereavement and loss. Her most recent book Living with Bereavement was published in 2008. Healing Words... Can we really “Write Ourselves Better”? Can writing empower us to make changes, live well and dream dreams? Join Sue for this reflective workshop and explore ways to write and to make connections with Jesus, the Word. Saturday 22.00 Soul Space
Talk to a Priest, Sacrament of Reconciliation and Confession A team of Anglican and Catholic priests is available to offer listening, prayer and sacrament of reconciliation. An ancient practice of confession with a particular focus on the tactile expression of God’s love, forgiveness and blessing and on letting go in order to move on. Saturday 10.00–16.30 Soul Space Sunday 12.00–16.30 Soul Space Monday 10.00–16.30 Soul Space
Morning prayer Saturday led by Stephen Hoyland of Loyola Hall, Sunday and Monday led by Franciscan Sisters and Brothers from the 1st and 3rd Orders and friends. Saturday, Sunday, Monday 09.00 Soul Space
Evening Prayer An ambient service with music and visuals - evening prayer with an Anglican twist. Hosted by Sanctuary 242, an intentional Christian community based in St Albans. Friday 18.00 Saturday, Sunday, Monday 17.00 Soul Space
Night Prayer with nChant Harp, guitar, djembe, and flutes accompany female-voice choir nChant for Night Prayer. Come enjoy the stillness, the music, the space. Led by Alison Eve and Paul Cudby. Friday & Sunday 23.00 Soul Space
98 Greenbelt 2010
The Worship Cooperative The Worship Cooperative is a venue dedicated to alternative worship. Throughout the festival a variety of emerging communities and musicians will collaborate on hosting worship. Festivalgoers will participate in creating an innovative worship space that is about sharing and offering back to God. The worship will include opportunities for contemplation and activity and will be suitable for the very young, the very old and everyone inbetween. Festivalgoers will be free to stay all day or come and go as they please. At certain times during each day there will be particular times of focus where the groups collaborating come together for a corporate moment of worship.
Friday Peripheral Visions
Saturday Here Comes Everybody
A journey with those on the edge of society – through Jesus’ eyes. We will look into different places and contemplate our own lives – with his unique and powerful glances that challenge us with his love for those on the edge and in our peripheral vision.
“The centrality of group effort to human life means that anything that changes the way groups function will have profound ramifications for everything” – Clay Shirky. Does noticing that, as we walk, we always walk with others change the way we have to walk?
Feig A group of fellow travellers, trying to work out what it means to be following Jesus Christ in Gloucester in the 21st century. We meet in homes, pubs, parks and the hidden chapels of Gloucester Cathedral. God has called us together to look out for and love each other. We’re learning all the time and enjoying the journey.
Aoradh Aoradh (Gaelic for “worship” or “adoration”), a community from rural Argyll, seek to provide an honest and welcoming place for others to adventure again with God, including developing worship tools that can be used in the spectacular countryside that surrounds them.
Foundation Foundation is a Christian community based in Bristol seeking to live out its faith in a healthy relationship with contemporary culture. They meet weekly at a creative “littleservice” organised by members of the group, bi-weekly in small groups and monthly for community meals and film nights. 19.00 Peripheral Visions 20.00 Continuation of Peripheral Visions 21.00 Build-up to communion 21.15 Communion start 22.00 Peripheral Visions close
Rough Edge Rough Edge is a collective of Durham-based Christians, all of whom are part of the same larger worshipping community. The collective often eats, prays, works, learns and worships together. The collective is passionate about Jesus and discipleship and seeks to express this passion through creative worship using various means, including song, liturgy, art, video, photography and poetry. Safespace Safespace is a community of pilgrimage and mission. We recognise the importance of being community, warts and all; of intimacy, vulnerability and accountability; of living and eating together and of developing a spirituality of people and place. Sanctus 1 Sanctus 1 is a community of people who gather together to discover more about Christ, culture and community in Manchester city centre. Sanctus 1 seeks to push at the boundaries; exploring God and spirituality within the city, in contemporary film and art, and within each other.
10.30 Opening Liturgy: Who am I walking with? 12.15 2nd Liturgy: The Father who walks with the Son and the Spirit 14.00 3rd Liturgy: The Son who walks with the Father and the Spirit 15.45 4th Liturgy: The Spirit who walks with the Father and the Son 17.15 Closing communion: Walking with the whole of God 18.00–19.30 Closed 19.30–21.30 Beat Eucharist A Beat Eucharist suitable for all ages. Using images, music and word we’ll gather to share the feast: Beat (as in Kerouac) style. Come and go or stay for the duration. The Beat Eucharist will happen every 30 minutes.
Worship & Spirituality 99
Sunday Life as Jazz – “The more one knows the rules, the freer one is to improvise” Jazz beats and themes blend with biblical verse to help us explore God in the unexpected, sometimes chaotic, world of looking sideways. Most of the time is structured so that you can just drop in at any point, or stay for a whole session. Ambient Wonder Ambient Wonder are a loose collection of people from the Norwich area, working together to explore the Christian faith in creative and imaginative ways. We have discovered that we encounter God not only in the events we create, but in the process of imagining them, and the community we build along the way. Ethos Ethos is a group based in Portsmouth who spontaneously came together with a desire to grow beyond our boundaries in worship and understanding of Christ’s message. Ethos is a space that allows those deeper prayers, the unseen longings, the timid questions and the useless burdens to be gently explored in words, music and images and re-imagined in the features of Jesus of Nazareth and his gifts of insight and wisdom. sanctum (re:connect) sanctum (re:connect) is an event run by a group of people from various churches in the Horsham area. For the last six years they’ve been having fun providing spaces that help people communicate in creative ways with God. In the early days the tagline offered “No singing, No sermon, Never mind”. It now promises “Christian worship done differently”. Visions Visions have been doing creative, and mostly multimedia, worship services since 1991, blending together the old and the new, the creative and the technological.
13.00–16.00 selah (annotation found in the psalms, thought to indicate a time of reflection). Three hours of meditative, reflective, participatory stations with the theme of jazz blending it together. We will explore the richness of the psalms, discover the interconnectedness of jazz music, and the sometimes surprising links between the two. Every 30 minutes or so, those in the venue will be called together for a short “selah moment” as a group. 16.00–18.00 improv An interactive session where using materials created in selah we will explore the improvisation side of jazz and take a sideways look at God, our faith and life. 19.00–21.00 respond A evening of jazz worship led by the King/Cave project. Spend some time in worship with opportunities to contemplate, reflect, respond to the Palestinian situation as we use jazz to explore Greenbelt’s Just Peace campaign issue. 21.00–22.30 reflect Sit back, relax, and let the cooling vibes wash over you, as we close the day with jazz-inspired reflections on where we can find God through the art of looking sideways.
Monday Voices from the Edge of the Wilderness – A Whole-Day Eucharist Be Hagar. Be challenged. Be alienated. Be heard. Be joined. Be blessed. Be quiet! Be legion. Be recognised. Be creative. Be seen. Be dispossessed. Be thorned. Belong! Maybe... believe. Blackthorn Crescent In 2009 Exeter careworkers Kevin Canham and Tom Hiney started sampling the voices of some of the people they were meeting, working guitar music and chorus hooks into something resembling songs. Now expanded to a band of half a dozen and growing, they are trying to create dirtily optimistic music. Blesséd Exploring the missional possibilities of the sacramental life, Blesséd characterises itself as outrageously incarnational, rabidly anglocatholic and wildly inclusive. We seek to find an encounter with God through eucharist, oil, water, penitence and grace which transcends denominational labels and tired, static liturgy in a multimedia engagement with the divine. Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough. mayBe mayBe is a group of people working at becoming a community exploring creative, simple, engaged and playful living in the way of Jesus Christ through a weekly community meal, a rhythm of prayer, looking out for our neighbour, weekend eucharist, and creative acts. UnReCognised UnReCognised is a collective of six people, male and female, lay and ordained, of different ages, from United Reformed Churches around the UK. Their aim is to lead explorative worship which respects and challenges, stretches and explores the reformed and reforming tradition from which they come.
10.00 Gathering Blackthorn Crescent gather the community of faith 11.00 Penitential Rite A ritual response to seek God’s forgiveness 12.00 Gloria & Thanksgiving A response to God’s absolution in image and music 13.00 Word/Intercession Goldfish bowl debates on Hagar (Genesis 21.1-21) and Legion (Mark 5.1-20) facilitated by UnReCognised 13.30 Hourly punctuations of Intercession, by bell. 16.00 Gathering Worship with band Complete the mayBe Collaborative Art project and draw it into offering 17.00 Mass of the Edge Psychedelic Punk Eucharist celebrated by Blesséd using elements gathered from the day 18.00 Close
100 Greenbelt 2010
comedy. Throwing us sideways, comedy opens up spaces we don’t usually get to see – inside ourselves and in the world around us. Reminding us not to take ourselves too seriously, it is the best antidote to our own selfimportance. So, LOL this year at Greenbelt and leave with a twinkle in your eye.
Milton Jones
Get Up, Stand Up Greenbelt’s very own comedy stand up show, hosted by festival favourite Tony Vino. He’ll bring us the freshest and funniest comedy ever seen on a racecourse. Be prepared to laugh your socks off, it might be wise to bring some spares. Other guests to be announced. Tony Vino (MC) Tony Vino is best known for the way he mixes well thought out observational humour with audience interaction and quick witted responses. A Funny Bones finalist in 2006, he is in demand as the effervescent host for high profile charity events and stand up nights around the country. “Comedy that is life affirming” (BBC). Andy Kind Running the gamut of comedy from one-liners to drawn-out
anecdotes, touching on topics from quirks of the English language to his own Christian faith, Andy is a rising star on the northern comedy circuit with a super-strong stage presence. Dom Woodward The absurdities of racism, characteristics of the martial arts enthusiast, a close look at Body Shop products, and how to get your own back at Argos are all tackled by Dom, a regular in the Comedy Store’s topical shows in Manchester and Leeds. James Acaster A genuine, honest voice in comedy, James shares his personal misfortunes and minor triumphs with an engaging optimism, finding the seemingly normal unusually thrilling. He is from the small town of Kettering which has a rollercoaster in it.
Comedy 101
Monday Guests include Tom Sine and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove Monday 23.00 Centaur
Late Night Twist A grown-up mix of accordions, performance poetry, comedy, songs, bedtime stories, audience participation and ukuleles. Always the same but always different – with Paul Cookson and Stewart Henderson. Friday 21.30 Bethlehem Sunday 21.30 Bethlehem Jude Simpson
Wes Zaharuk Master of mayhem, prop lunatic Wes Zaharuk takes his audience on a joyride of frenzied machine-gun anarchic physical comedy routines and maniac physical audience interaction. Easily one of the most exciting acts on the comedy circuit. Sunday Guests include Andy Kind and Dom Woodward Sunday 21.30 Festival Bowl
Monday Guests include James Acaster and Wes Zaharuk Monday 21.30 Festival Bowl
Happy Hour Sarah Dean and chums will delight you with an hour of late-afternoon sketches and stand up. Nine parts daft to one part silly. Brought to you by the team that cobbles together Last Orders. Look out for guest appearances from festival favourites across the weekend. Saturday 17.00 YMCA Sunday 17.00 YMCA Monday 17.00 YMCA
witty wordplay, poetry, rap and song to create a unique act which leaves audiences smiling, laughing and occasionally hungry. Fifteen extra laughter lines with every show. Guaranteed. Friday 21.45 Big Top
Last Orders Last Orders is a veritable smorgasbord of the best of the festival. We’ll have headline music and comedy acts, chats with some interesting people, plus outrageously funny videos of kittens. And possibly free chocolate. Come along to Centaur at 11pm to see what all the fuss is about. Hosted by Jude Mason and Greenbelt chair Andy Turner. Friday Guests include Jude Simpson, Peter Tatchell, Dave Andrews and Stephen Langstaff Friday 23.00 Centaur
Saturday Guests include Robin Ince, Michael McDermott, Ellie Williams and Swee Ang Saturday 23.00 Centaur
Jude Simpson Performance poetry at its most engaging and energetic in the shape of walking feelgood factor Jude Simpson. Jude combines insightful observational comedy with
Sunday Guests include Jars of Clay, Milton Jones, Extra Curricular, Janey Lee Grace and Mark Yaconelli Sunday 23.00 Centaur
Milton Jones He’s one of our top stand-up comedians, a Perrier Award winner in demand at comedy clubs across the country. You might have seen him on Mock the Week, or heard his BBC Radio 4 show Another Case of Milton Jones. Milton’s recently published book answers one of life’s great questions: Where Do Comedians Go When They Die? – Journeys of a Stand-up. Milton’s Paradise Jones Milton Jones performs his brilliant stand-up. If you don’t leave this event a happier person, you should seek immediate medical help. With his wacky stories and hilarious one-liners, Milton will tickle your ribs, use various other metaphors and possibly some puns to cause you to laugh a lot. Sunday 14.15 Centaur
Mock the Weekend? Described as “the best one-line merchant in British comedy” by Chortle, can Milton string a whole conversation together? Come and find out... and listen to tales from his extraordinary career. He’ll talk faith, fame and Frankie Boyle. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon? Sunday 18.30 Big Top
Musical Comedy Showcase Mister Music meet Mistress Funny, we’re sure you’ll get along. These multitalented Greenbelt favourites will show you how with a cocktail of foot-tapping comedy and side-splitting musicianship. Featuring Jude Simpson, Jenny Lockyer, Folk On and Steve Tomkins. Monday 20.30 Centaur
Robin Ince Robin is a regular at festivals, theatres and comedy clubs with shows including Book Club and Robin Ince’s School for Gifted Children. He supported Ricky Gervais on tour and is a BBC Radio 4 favourite. He’ll make you laugh, and just might make you think. Robin is a fan of Darwin, Carl Sagan and hopes one day to tour the UK playing only libraries. Greenbelt first though. A Troubled Youth in Middle Age Comedian and science fan Robin Ince performs his latest stand-up show – be prepared to have your prejudices destroyed, knowledge of physicist Carl Sagan broadened and to laugh long and hard into the night. Probably not suitable for the easily offended or younger audiences. “The most intellectually audacious comedian in the country” – Evening Standard. Includes strong language. Saturday 21.45 Big Top
102 Greenbelt 2010
film. Celluloid stories played out before our eyes. Reeling us in, casting technicolor light and shade across our faces, films open up fresh vistas on worlds within and without. And this year’s film programme is sure to inspire, disturb and comfort in equal measure.
Africa United An exclusive advance showing ahead of its general release in October, the film tells the story of three Rwandan children and their bid to take part in the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup. A 3,000-mile road movie full of joy and hope, this ambitious production was filmed in Rwanda, Burundi and South Africa. Followed by a Q&A with director Debs Gardner Paterson and writer Rhidian Brook.
– and falling in love. Somehow Carter cheats death, and meets June – but in fact his heavenly “conductor” missed him in the fog. His time was up and now he must plead for a second chance at life – and love – in the highest court of all... Saturday 17.00 Film
CAST in Beirut with David Morrissey
A Matter of Life and Death
“If Palestine was free I would play outside with my friends. If Palestine was free I could ask my grandparents about their stories. If Palestine was free I would plant a thousand olive trees.”
(U) 104 mins May 1945. Bomber pilot Peter Carter (David Niven) limps home in a doomed plane. He ejects, but not before talking to American radio operator June
Special screening of a short documentary by actor and director David Morrissey (State of Play, The Deal, Doctor Who) which follows David and his creative team to Lebanon as
Sunday 12.00 Centaur
Film 103
they put on a week-long drama course for Palestinian refugees. David put together a team of workshop leaders after Ibrahim Hewitt approached him on behalf of Ros Young from the UN. Now he’s has formed the charity Creative Arts Schools Trust (CAST) to ensure sustainability for projects like this in the region. After the screening David and co-producer Emma Wee will take part in a conversation with Simon Mayo about how the film came to be made, the issues it raises and his hopes for the work of CAST. EXTRA EXTRA: As Simon’s BBC 5Live film critic and broadcasting buddy Mark Kermode is also on site (to perform in the Big Top later with The Dodge Brothers), he will then join Simon and David onstage for a spot of that high-brow, movie-based cultural conversation which historians looking back at the early 21st Century will inevitably describe as ‘wittertainment’. Monday 15.00 Centaur
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs (U) 90 mins Swallow Falls is a town where breakfast, lunch and dinner simply fall from the sky. It’s home to teenage scientist Flint Lockwood, inventor of the Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator – a device that turns rain into food. Pure comic escapism, with zany visuals and delectable food puns, as a storm of giant food threatens the new boomtown and all eyes turn to inventor Flint to save the day. Saturday 08.00 Film
Encounter Point 85 mins A documentary following a former Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israeli mother and a wounded Palestinian bereaved brother, who risk their lives and public standing to promote a
nonviolent end to the conflict. These everyday leaders navigate suicide bombings and checkpoints to confront hatred within their communities. The film explores what drives them and thousands like them to overcome anger and grief to work for grassroots solutions. Saturday 12.30 Film
The Insatiable Moon and the Art of Frugal Film-Making The screen adaptation of Mike Riddell’s The Insatiable Moon redefines the rules of filmmaking, and poses deep questions for the future of the artform. Film critic Gareth Higgins discusses the film’s journey to the screen with its UK producers, Pip Piper and Rob Taylor. A must for cinéastes or filmmakers. Saturday 17.00 Film
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (15) 99 mins Writer-director John Hughes tells the story of one teenager’s quest to take it easy, through a day of truancy and hijinks. Extremely funny and fashionably 80s, Matthew Broderick stars, with Alan Ruck as melancholic mate Cameron, and Jeffrey Jones as the principal out to catch Ferris at it. Friday 19.00 Film
Fish Tank (15) 123 mins Stroppy 15-year-old Mia is struggling – with her social worker, her little sister, her mum, and her mum’s new boyfriend. This film by British director Andrea Arnold (who won the Cannes Jury Prize for her debut, Red Road) hinges on a stunning central performance from newcomer Katie Jarvis as Mia, never shying away from a conflict but constantly hoping and striving for something better just around the corner. Sunday 21.30 Film
Grizzly Man
Little Town of Bethlehem
(15) 103 mins Acclaimed director Werner Herzog explores the life and death of amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife preservationist Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell lived unarmed among the bears for 13 summers, and filmed his adventures in the wild during his final five seasons. A fantastic documentary about a man who died amongst the animals he loved.
(PG) 77 mins
Monday 21.30 Film
Followed by Q&A with Sami Awad, one of the film’s three protagonists.
In the Loop (15) 106 mins From the makers of BBC2’s The Thick of It comes this knockout satire on the buildup to the second Iraq war. Peter Capaldi dominates the hapless politicians as Malcolm Tucker, the tyrannical spin doctor who turns swearing into an art form. The film still contains a lot of swearing, but beneath it lies a thoughtful, hilarious – and painfully plausible – version of the events which have defined an era. Saturday 21.30 Film
Jeremy Hardy vs. The Israeli Army (15) 75 mins When comedian Jeremy Hardy is asked to visit Palestine and do his bit to solve the world’s longest running conflict, facing the world’s fourth biggest military power is not his idea of a holiday. But neither is travelling to Florida to spend Easter with his in-laws. What he doesn’t know, as he arrives in Tel Aviv a week later, is that he will become an unlikely witness to a horrific yet seminal moment in the struggle of the Palestinian people. Followed by a panel with Jeremy Hardy and Maxim Sansour, co-founder of Open Jerusalem. Monday 11.30 Film
Inspired by the words and actions of Martin Luther King and Gandhi, three men – Christian, Muslim and Jew – are willing to risk everything to bring an end to violence in their lifetime. In the city of Bethlehem, where it is said God became man, these men stand alongside others whose central desire is to be accepted and treated as fully human. This film shares their gripping story.
Sunday 12.30 Film
Peripheral Visions Presented by the Bible Society ‘I was a stranger and you received me …’ Jesus said. Gazing through the lens of four emotionally arresting films – The Soloist, The Visitor, Cherry Blossoms and The Blind Side – this interactive, Reel Issues style seminar spotlights stories of transformation and new beginnings through encounters with people on the margins. A journalist discovers the giftedness of a musician with mental illness, a Christian family nurtures the potential of a drug addict’s son, a grief-stricken man sees life with new eyes through a chance meeting in Tokyo, and a disenchanted lecturer is reenergised through friendship with the Syrian-Senegalese couple he finds living in his flat. Presented by Lindsay Shaw, writer, editor and communications specialist who coordinates Bible Society’s Reel Issues programme reelissues.org.uk Sunday 19.30 Film
Film Review of the Year + Second Annual Greenbelt Oscars Gareth Higgins returns to Greenbelt with his Film Review of the Year, taking us through the cinematic highs, lows
104 Greenbelt 2010
and in-betweens of 2009-10. Higgins will then step into Billy Crystal’s tiny shoes to host the Second Annual Greenbelt Oscars with a panel of guests, chewing over the votes cast by Greenbelt filmgoers over the course of the weekend. Monday 17.00 Film
The Emperor’s New Groove (U) 78 mins A lean, quick-paced and extremely witty Disney flick ripe for rediscovery. Selfish, vain Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama by a conniving advisor and abandoned in the forest with only a recently-slighted subject for help. You can guess what follows, but it’s the journey, not the destination. Constantly amusing for kids and adults alike. Sunday 08.00 Film
The Mist (15) 120 mins Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont returned to form (and to Stephen King) with this Iraq-tinged parable of paranoia and panic. Based on a horror tale, The Mist is genuinely tense, jumpy and gory. Trapped in a supermarket by a strange mist, a group of smalltown Americans slowly fragments, and questions are raised on faith, religious fervour, and the need for hope – all before things start tapping on the window. Friday 21.30 Film
Up (U) 96 mins Seventy-eight-year-old Carl Fredricksen, newly widowed, rigs thousands of balloons to his home and takes off on a dream voyage to Paradise Falls in South America in this double Oscar-winning Pixar animation. Mid-air, he discovers he has a companion – a young boy scout, Russell. Their adventures (which include a scene-stealing talking dog) will have you
bursting with laughter while you’re still drying your eyes. Saturday 19.30 Film Monday 08.00 Film
What Happens When You Pray? Clive Dove-Dixon asked people of all faiths “What happens when you pray?” and the result was this thoughtful video installation. Drop in for five minutes or stay longer. Look out for Clive and his roving camera team around site as they ask festivalgoers for their answers to the question. Saturday 09.00-16.00 Crest Sunday 13.00-16.00 Crest Monday 09.00-16.00 Crest
WHWYP @ G2009 & Discussion The What Happens When You Pray? team filmed festivalgoers at the 2009 festival answering the titular question. Come see a collection of responses, along with talk and discussion from the creator. Monday 14.00 Sovereign Lounge
Shed Presents: A selection of late night screenings for the nocturnal youth:
Fantastic Mr Fox (PG) 87 mins Mr Fox is a family man, fantastic indeed – stealing produce liberally from mean-spirited farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. Delightful visual flourishes adorn every frame in this funny and wistful adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic. The book’s plot is largely intact but even an audience that knows what’s coming is kept on its toes by a sharp script, unexpected twists, and an underlying feeling of joyful abandon. Friday 23.45 Film
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (PG) 108 mins Presented by the Bible Society A wickedly entertaining movie about the misadventures of the three Baudelaire orphans who must use their wits and resources to escape the clutches of villainous Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), a distant relative who plots to steal their family fortune... Friday 23.45 Film Youth Discussion This film will be followed up with a discussion on Sunday at 15.30 in the Youth Shelter.
Napoleon Dynamite (PG) 86 mins From the rural town of Preston, Idaho, comes Napoleon Dynamite. With a red ‘fro, moon boots and illegal government ninja moves, he is a new kind of hero. Napoleon spends his days drawing magical beasts, working on his computer hacking skills to impress the chicks, and begrudgingly feeding his grandma’s pet llama. When his friend Pedro decides to run for class president, it is Napoleon to the rescue. Sunday 23.45 Film
Tipping Point Presents: TPFF draws on public support to fund challenging, truth-telling cinema documentaries that combine the popular appeal of film with ambitious international outreach campaigns. TPFF has received support from Co-operative Bank and Trust Greenbelt and presents three films at this year’s festival. Each screening also features a Greenpeace short and is following by a panel, talk or Q&A.
Burma VJ Acclaimed filmmaker Anders Østergaard introduces us to the
courageous video journalists of Burma who - armed with handycams - risk torture and jail to smuggle news footage out of their closed country. A unique insight into high-risk dissidence in a police state. Followed by Q&A with Zoya Phan, international coordinator at Burma Campaign UK. Sunday 14.30 Film
Vanishing of the Bees Honeybees are disappearing worldwide – with massive economic, political and spiritual implications. This film examines the ancient and sacred connection between man and the honeybee, unfolding as a dramatic tale of science and mystery, illuminating this extraordinary crisis and its greater meaning about the relationship between humankind and mother earth. The bees have a message, but will we listen? Followed by Q&A with James Erskine, one of the film’s producers. Saturday 14.30 Film
Yes Men A comedic documentary which follows The Yes Men, a group of prankster activists, as they gain international notoriety for impersonating the World Trade Organisation - a group they politically oppose - at conferences and on TV, thereby highlighting the worst aspects of global free trade. Followed by a panel discussion: “Are We Making Enough Noise?” Monday 14.30 Film
Greenbelt 2010 105
the tank. the tank is Greenbelt’s media café where you’re welcome to sit a while, chill and enjoy some Divine refreshments, Fairtrade food, hot and cold drinks including tank coffee and the near-legendary, and reasonably-priced, tank hot chocolate.
We’re perfectly situated on the ground floor of the Grandstand. It’s the ideal spot to sit down with a real cuppa and soak up the wise words of Jerusalem on the tank café terrace or Grandstand steps. We’re around all weekend, so pop in anytime and say hello. Pick up a tank loyalty card and be rewarded for being a friend of the tank with a free hot drink.
Get on the web Need to get online? We’ve got a terminal with your name on it. Pick up mail, turn up at tankville and harvest your crops, write on a wall, update your status, or just browse awhile. The wiry web awaits at the tank. There’s free wi-fi too - grab a coffee and a ticket and wander lonely in the cloud. All weekend
Phone charging
Singstar in the tank
It’s a festival and you must have your mobile. When your juice runs low – bring your gadgetry to the tank and we’ll do our best to get you back up to five big bars. Got your own charger? Make it easy and bring it along with you.
Clear your vocal pipes for the weekend ahead by belting out your favourite tunes on Friday night in the tank. No stars, no dressing rooms, no brown M&Ms, just the sweet, sweet sound of your voice. Bring your mates, turn it up and breathe from somewhere near the diaphragm.
All weekend
Friday from 19.00
106 Greenbelt 2010
Coffee-cupping How do you know whether you’ve got a Golocha or a Sidamo in your hands? Come and learn the art of coffee-cupping at the tank. Train your senses to appreciate the unique tastes of different African coffees and compare them side-by-side. Philip Schluter, an international coffee importer, will be slurping and spitting his way around some the continent’s finest coffees. Your invited to dip, stir and sip along too. Limited spaces – sign-up in the tank. Saturday 10.00, 14.00
Animation workshops 8-17 Create a minor epic using that wonderful squidgy stuff they call Plasticine. Ridiculously popular and so much fun, our stop-frame animations courses are running most of the weekend (sign up in the tank). Bring a friend, push some pixels and get your digits dirty. On Monday evening we’ll showcase the best at The Far From Royal Premiere. Saturday 12.00, 14.00, 16.00, 18.00 Sunday 14.00, 16.00, 18.00 Monday 10.00, 12.00
Coffee: What Would Jesus Brew? The global economy; don’t you just love it? While some people face proper poverty, others play with their iPads, pondering which restaurant to eat at. The world of coffee puts it all in stark perspective as consumers cough up to £3 for a cup of coffee, while those who produce it are taking home as little as 60p a day. Things are not always as simple as they seem. Come and discuss the coffee trade with Phil Schluter; he’s spent his life surrounded by beans and burlap, and he’s committed to seeing it done in the way that Jesus would have it done. There will be a short presentation with plenty of time for discussion, so come with
your burning questions and give him a roasting. Saturday 20.00
Q&A with Traidcraft’s Paul Chandler Is fairtrade really the answer? What is the secret ingredient in Geobars? Is it okay to buy Dairy Milk? Ask someone who knows all the answer, chief executive at Traidcraft, Paul Chandler. Monday 10.30
18+ These 18+ animation sessions are designed so adults can concentrate on making their own cinematic masterpiece. If you’re still awake then we’d love to see what you can create with your wizened but wise fingers. No experience necessary. And you’re welcome if you’ve done (and seen) it all before. (18+ only) Friday, Saturday and Sunday 20.00
The Far-From-Royal Premiere The Directors’ Cuts! We showcase all the animations Greenbelters have made in our workshops over the weekend. Laugh, cry, gawp in awe. Monday 19.30
If you want to attend any tank sessions or workshops, book your place using the sign-up sheets located in the tank (these are posted on the day of the event, except for morning sessions, which are posted the night before).
Greenbelt 2010 107
youth highlights. The programme for 11-17 year olds means you can get the best out of the main lineup, plus go to an exclusive range of debates and activities designed specifically for you. Here are just a few highlights from the Youth programme. Get the full Youth Guide from the Box Office, Info Booth, Tank, Skatepark or Youth venues for more…
Talks & Panels Bluffer’s guide to Israel / Palestine It is in the newspapers, on TV and in the public consciousness, but how many of us understand what life is like in the Occupied Palestinian Territories? Nigel Varndell will look at how the occupation started and what the consequences are for ordinary Palestinians. Saturday 10.00 Shed
The long adventure of rebellion: say goodbye to political apathy Want to push at your political and personal boundaries and maybe even get involved with direct action? Take responsibility for bringing about the world you want to see,
rather than leaving politics to the experts. Panellists include Clare Short, Rachel Maskell and Jonathan Bartley. Chaired by Tom Warnett. Monday 17.00 Shed
Christian Aid Climate Change Crash Course Join Christian Aid’s Volunteer Youth Advocates from across the UK for a crash course on everything climate change, with an expert focus on how it affects developing countries. Hear stories of first-hand experiences of Christian Aid partners from Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, prepare yourself for the exclusive youth-led panel debate, get clued up, inspired by local and global workshops and have fun while doing it! Saturday 12.30 Shelter Saturday 15.00 Shack
108 Greenbelt 2010
Climate Change: a load of hot air? You’ve done the prep in the climate change crash course now join our panel: Is it really happening? Are we as individuals really responsible for its devastating effects or must businesses and mother nature take their share of the blame? How can we tackle these issues locally and on a global scale? Saturday 17.00 Shed
Human rights at home and abroad: what are they and how do we fight for them? Human rights, what’s the big issue. What do you think? Come and see what the experts have to say. Then agree, disagree, argue and please ask questions.
Panellists include Bulelwa Ngantweni-Hewitt, Zaw Lu Aung and Swee Ang. Chaired by Ben White. Sunday 17.00 Shed
Mark Yaconelli Come and hear one of the world’s finest youth workers give a talk especially for young festivalgoers. Wonder, grief and longing: the life of the soul The great struggle in life is to find our soul, connect with our soul, and live our lives from the deep part of who we are. Mark asks how we do this? How do we discover our own soul and live a life that feels real and creative and compassionate? Sunday 14.00 Shed
Masterclasses An Audience with Straff You’ve probably seen him going crazy on stage with thebandwithnoname, chest butting chipK or bringing his melodic vocal style to the tbwnn mix. Straff has also been part of an NGM band called Standby Hero and is now busy writing music for his next project, Sinister Bleak. Quiz Straff about his work and join him for this masterclass in lyric and songwriting. Saturday 14.30 Shed
Shlomo’s Beatbox Masterclass Shlomo – whose appearances on Mainstage have cemented his reputation as a Greenbelt legend – will have you sounding like a kick drum, with no kick drum in sight. An exclusive youth masterclass. Monday 17.00 Skatepark
Spoken Word Masterclass Join spoken soul maestro [verb]swish for a creative writing masterclass on how to approach spoken word in a changing world, or in his own words: “Write to the world as if it was mirrorless.” Exhibit your new skills in the showcase later on. Masterclass Saturday 11.00 Shack Showcase Saturday 20.30 Festival Bowl
Youth 109
Stand Up Comedy Masterclass
Xpress Yo’self: Street Dance Masterclass
A special two-hour workshop run by comedian Tony Vino and the best of Get Up Stand Up’s talent. Develop your joke writing, performance skills and confidence. This fun session is geared to creating five minutes of standup material, for you to perform at the Open Mic show in the YMCA Tent. There, a panel of comedians will choose a winner to perform in Monday night’s main Get Up Stand Up set.
Fancy learning some new hip-hop moves? Join the Fully Functioning Individuals from Impact Dance for a fun packed, high energy session of street dance to the freshest urban tunes. Come and Xpress Yo’self on the dancefloor!
Masterclass Monday 12.00 Shed Open Mic Show Monday 15.30 YMCA Get Up Stand Up Monday 21.30 Festival Bowl
Skatepark
Masterclass Sunday 13.30 Workshops 1 Xtreme Circumstance (performance) Sunday 16.30 Centaur
The place to go, to have a go. Or grab a bite to eat and watch the experts. See the Youth Guide for details of lessons, sessions, DJ workshops and Silent Disco, all happening in the Skatepark.
X Mobile X-Mobile is a new state-of-theart mobile recording studio. The van’s interior includes a separate vocal and instrument recording booth, fancy computers, and a high-quality speaker system. The outside boasts a motorised basketball hoop, built-in plasma screen, and innovative ultraviolet graffiti wall.
Music Creation Workshop Featuring GreenJade From the first spark of an idea all the way to performance, create a communal track based on the Greenbelt theme, the art of looking sideways. Gueststarring GreenJade, who are performing at the festival. Saturday 13.00 X Mobile Van Sunday 13.00 X Mobile Van
X Mobile: Drop-In
X Mobile: Final Play
Drop in and visit the van, see what it does, see what it is doing at Greenbelt, and find out about XLP.
Join us for a party to show off the music created over the weekend.
Friday 19.00–22.00 X Mobile Van Saturday 20.00–22.00 X Mobile Van Sunday 20.00–22.00 X Mobile Van
Monday 14.00 X Mobile Van
110 Greenbelt 2010
children & all-age. This is a festival for all ages, and so we offer opportunities for families to get together and have fun as a group, as well as giving children under the age of eleven some of their own, kid-specific joyfulness. Greenbelt is guaranteed to fire the imaginations of everyone onsite, and bring us all into one community – children included!
The Children’s Festival The Children’s Festival is the place to be for all festivalgoers aged between six months and 11 years. We open for three sessions over the weekend, each one two-and-a-half hours long. We have lots of activities designed especially for young people, so do sign them up. We have a large team of volunteers (all with CRB checks and references) who have come to the festival to make sure that they have a great time. This year watch out for street dance, singing, signing, storytelling, sports and crafts. For Babies and Toddlers There’s of toys and space to crawl and toddle around. We can change nappies and feed kids when needed; we can
Children’s & All-age 111
even provide a bed for a rest if festival life is taking its toll! For Pre-School Children A very exciting outside area with ride-on toys, sandpits, climbing frames and plenty of safe space to play. Plus jigsaws, trains, Play-Dough and painting. Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers Go to shows and performances that we’ve handpicked for their age group. We have a bouncy castle, parachutes and special coloured t-shirts to make sure they end up in the same tent they started in! Infants and Juniors For older children, we have some special visiting acts and performances as well as games, crafts, fun and laughter. It’s an action packed two-anda-half hours, a chance to make some new friends, and for infants and juniors to find out a little about what’s going on in the main festival. We have a special team to cater for any children that might need extra support and will try to meet their individual needs. Healthy snacks and water are provided when needed - so they don’t need to bring anything. Just make sure they have a sunhat and that someone has applied suncream before they come in. Besides the three main sessions all-age Sunday afternoon with workshops, performances and activities is designed for everyone to enjoy.
Early Birds Are you up at dawn with a small child while the rest of the campsite snores? Early Birds is back by popular demand. We will have a tent open in the Children’s Festival from 6am–8am every morning. We won’t look after your child for you but there are plenty of toys and you can yawn alongside other parents and carers.
Shows and events All-age Sunday in the Children’s afternoon Sunday afternoon sees the Festival Coady Crew Street dance is taking the country by storm. Now’s your chance to check it out and have a go yourself. Coady Crew, who run street and hip hop dance schools in the local area will show you how to bust some moves.
Peter Combe Rolf Harris, move over! Peter Combe is an icon of Australian children’s music. His career started on BBC TV’s Music Time in 1977 and he went on to pioneer music you could play in the car on long trips without the adults going insane, starting with Toffee Apple in 1987. Renowned for a Pythonesque sense of humour Peter manages to surprise and inspire with every performance.
Snail Tails Just as a snail carries its home on its back, Snail Tales brings stories you will carry with you for life. Their storytelling excites, encourages, inspires, and calms, all in one enchanting journey for parents and youngsters alike. Hear traditional tales alongside improvised adventures from your own suggestions. A Snail Tales performance often mixes traditional storytelling as it’s been done for millennia with puppetry, ventriloquism, live music and magic, too!
Children’s Festival open up with lots of activities to engage the young at heart, from 0-90. You don’t have to bring a child to come and join in. Watch out for our exciting range of workshops, and make sure you don’t miss a visit to the Children’s Festival Café (open Sunday afternoon only). Open from 13.45–18.00. As well as Peter Combe and Snail Tails, Sunday afternoon will also feature:
BeBe Vox The girl from Swansea with huge hair and a phenomenal voice has built up a poptastic reputation through performances in around 100 schools, loads of churches, and to over 30,000 people at festivals. Her road to fame began when she won a national singing competition and her debut slice of catchy electropop All This Time (feat Ad-Apt) came out in April.
Bollywood Grooves Jai Ho! Try out some Indian dance moves with Bollywood Grooves Dance Company. Their dancers are trained in classical, traditional Bollywood, street and Bhangra styles and they create unique routines to new Bollywood hits as well as the old classics.
Playsongs Come and join us for a fun live music session for parents and under-threes, with songs, rhymes and instruments for small hands.
Play tent Open for play to you and your toddlers and equipped with our Children’s Festival toys. There is no supervision but it is a chance for parents and carers to rest (in a contained area) from constantly chasing your child around the site.
Peace Cranes – Jay Gadhia Come and make a paper peace crane and be part of a huge installation piece. A Japanese idea says that in folding 1,000 peace cranes you fulfil a wish back to the universe. Artist Jay Gadhia originally used pages from scriptures to provoke thoughts on peace between religions. Together we can make just a few more than 1,000 at Greenbelt – what peaceful prayer will your crane carry?
Thomas Trilby’s Circus Workshops Thomas Trilby’s circus workshops give you the chance to try your hand at circus activities including juggling, plate spinning, hula hoop, balancing props and much more.
112 Greenbelt 2010
Across the site Alongside the Children’s Festival there is plenty of stuff happening for kids and families in lots of other areas throughout the weekend
Messy Space Like a huge version of your living room over the summer holidays, this is the place for the whole family to hang out and do stuff. Messy Space has games, special events, bedtime stories, family talks, worship sessions, and a café. You don’t even have to clear up. Hurrah!
Family Twist The usual mix of accordions, performance poetry, comedy, songs, bedtime stories, audience participation and ukuleles. Always the same but always different – with Paul Cookson, The Prof, Richard Baxter, Stewart Henderson and a glam rock ukulele. Saturday & Monday 19.00 Children’s Activity Tent
A Little Bird Told Me Be the first to hear the next generation of fairy tales... Each of these short stories has been created by children from UK primary schools, then adapted to include puppetry, live music, and plenty of audience participation! Sometimes moral, sometimes delightfully absurd, but always colourful, curious and fun… this insight into the world of the modern child’s imagination – from helpful gazelles to dragon poo – is a treat for the whole family. Hosted by Snail Tales. Saturday 20.00 YMCA Sunday 14.00 Children’s Infant Tent Monday 20.00 YMCA
The Arena The Arena is the place to be for varied all-age activities participate in Human Table Football with your dad, make a withy tipi with your niece, or ride a unicycle with your granny. (Maybe not the last one.) Creative workshops include Seven Stars Agency showing you how to recycle reclaimed materials into beautiful musical instruments, and Far Out Workshops bring their bell tent and withy weaving to create tipis, dens, lanterns - whatever you fancy! For the more active family, there’s a whole range of Silly Sports, plus Circus workshops to learn to juggle, spin a plate or ride a unicycle... Circus Workshops Sunday 12.00 & 15.00
Dance Workshops Including Jive, Swing, Salsa and Bollywood. See Performing Arts section for full listings.
Flash Mob Dance with Mothers’ Union Join the Mothers’ Union Dance Crew to learn some moves for a surprise Flash Mob event on Monday, to tie in with the Mothers’ Union. Saturday 12:00 Sunday 12:00
All-age Worship Messy Church Saturday 16.30 Messy Space Sunday 16.30 Messy Space
Pray and Play Monday 09.00 Messy Space Monday 15.00 Messy Space
Garden Craft Workshop
Church of England Liturgical Commission All Age Worship
Saturday, Sunday & Monday 12.00 & 15.00
Monday 09.00 Hebron Monday 17.00 Workshops 2
Human Table Football Sign up in the YMCA Café or with Amos in the G-Source Monday 12:00
Kitchen Klatter Bring your campsite kitchen clutter, create some fun percussion pieces and parade them in public. Sunday 16:00
Silly Sports Saturday, Sunday & Monday 14.00
Withy Workshops Saturday, Sunday & Monday 12.00 & 15.00
Greenbelt 2010 113
unpigeonholeable. Astanga Yoga Stretch yourself out and wake yourself up with the invigorating practice of astanga; a dynamic series of postures, each linked with the flow of breath. Bring a mat or towel, and wear comfortable clothing. Led by Vikki Poole, a certified teacher with the British Wheel of Yoga. Classes last one hour. Saturday, Sunday, Monday 08.30 Bethlehem
reflect and pray about issues, and anyone who’d like to engage in a spirit of respect and openness is welcome. More T. Vicar Transgender Christians share their journeys of life and faith, with time for discussion after the main panel session. Facilitiated by Outerspace and open to all who’d like to understand better the lives and experiences of transgender people. Friday 20.00 Workshops 2
OuterSpace OuterSpace is a group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Christians at Greenbelt. OuterSpace provide space and time at the festival for people - no matter what their background - to talk,
Voices of Witness Exclusive film screening (30mins) in which men and women tell their stories of intolerance and community, secrecy and hope, of facing challenges as people of faith who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. “A brave tribute
to the love of God” in the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Facilitated by OuterSpace. Saturday 16.00 Workshops 1
Counselling If you need someone to talk with about difficult experiences or current struggles, you can talk with one of our qualified counsellors in private. Sessions last up to an hour and can be booked to suit you. This is a free service offered for the duration of the festival only. Friday 18.00-19.00 Saturday & Sunday 10.00-19.00 Monday 10.00-18.00 4th Floor Grandstand
Meet up for adults with Asperger’s Syndrome and related conditions If you are an adult with Asperger’s Syndrome or a related condition, meet up for half an hour each day to make new friends, and plan the day ahead with others. Parents, friends and siblings welcome. Saturday, Sunday, Monday 10.00 YMCA
The Spirit of the Thing
Wild Food Forage
What’s the spirit of Greenbelt? Can you bottle it and take it somewhere else? Would you like to see more of the Greenbelt spirit in your area around the year? Festival Director Gawain Hewitt moderates a conversation, featuring representatives of Solas (which began in Scotland in 2010) and Wild Goose (launching in the US in 2011). Monday 15.30 Workshops 1
What Greenbelt means to me In 2009 a group of researchers recorded their experience of the festival in personal journals – not to review the programme, but to explore what being at Greenbelt meant to them
spiritually and theologically. Come hear their findings, and help with their research, as the session is recorded to continue the conversation. Monday 10.00 Workshops 1
Wild Food Forage Over 30 edible plants grow on the Racecourse and even more have other uses from medicine to artists’ charcoal. Come on an hour long introduction to the delightful art of foraging with Earth Abbey. Bring a mug for wild tea on the way. Saturday, Sunday & Monday 09.00 Meet by Abide
Youthwork Practitioner Sessions Join experts exploring the way forward in youthwork. Preparing a generation for tomorrow’s challenges An examination of how young people might be enabled to respond to the future with Ian Green. Saturday 10.30 YMCA
Stories from the Edge Dave Wiles tells the stories of young people on the margin. Hear the stories and join in the debate. Sunday 12.00 YMCA
Guns, gangs and youth work Join popular Auzzie youth worker Fuzz Kito exploring the reality of insecure, vulnerable youth work on the margins. Monday 10.30 YMCA
114 Greenbelt 2010
partners & associates. Partners Christian Aid It is our pleasure to once again be working closely with development agency Christian Aid, Greenbelt’s longest-standing Partner. This year they’ll be bringing a dose of wisdom to the talks and youth programme as well as plenty of old favourites, such as the all-age pub quiz and the ever-popular Divine Chocolate demonstration. Their tented venue on centrecourse is housing a Tax Maze, where visitors can discover how tax dodging is costing developing countries billions of dollars each year. And when you’ve found your way out of the maze, grab a fairly traded cup of coffee from their café.
Divine Chocolate: Talk and Demonstration Hear the history of chocolate and why it’s a justice issue, followed by a tasting session. Saturday 10.30 Christian Aid Monday 14.30 Christian Aid
Harvest Workshops: Be part of the Wind of Change A Wind of Change is sweeping through Greenbelt this year come along to Christian Aid’s make-your-own-windmill workshop for families and find out how the wind is transforming lives for the better in Afghanistan. Saturday & Monday 9.00 Kitchen
Paula Clifford: International Development: does theology matter? See pg 70 Friday 19.30 Galilee
Platform2: Change Your World An exhibition of photographs created by young people who
volunteered in some of the poorest countries around the world with the Platform2 scheme. Using startling images to address climate change, sustainability, trade and tax justice, the exhibition highlights how we can affect these poverty creators in the UK. All weekend: Centaur Foyer
Surefish.co.uk Quiz All the fun of a pub quiz, but in a tent! Suitable for all ages. Sunday 12.30 Christian Aid Tent
Tax Maze Get lost in the Christian Aid maze and find your way to the best café in town. Visit Christian Aid, which dares you to negotiate the Tax Maze and learn first-hand how tax dodging effects poor countries. On leaving the maze the Trace the Tax campaign gives you the opportunity to make your voice heard. All weekend Christian Aid
Trace the £’s Treasure Hunt Ten ‘£’ signs will mysteriously appear around the site on Monday. Photograph all ten and show your pictures in the Christian Aid tent. The first 20 people to find all ten will receive a special surprise. All day Monday
Wild Goose Worship See page 94 Monday 09.30 Big Top
Youth Programme: Climate Change Panel Debate Join Christian Aid’s Volunteer Youth Advocates from across the UK for a crash course on climate change, with an expert focus on how it effects developing countries. Hear stories of first hand experiences of Christian Aid partners from Kenya and the DRC, prepare yourself for the exclusive youth led panel
Partners & Associates 115
debate, get clued up and have fun while doing it. Preparatory workshops Saturday 12.30 Youth Shelter Saturday 15.00 Youth Shack The Big Debate Saturday 17.00 Youth Shed
The Methodist Church We are delighted to be joined in partnership by the Methodist Church. You’ll find them in the Galilee talks venue and in G-Source. Do go and visit them to find out what it might mean to think, talk and be a disciple in the 21st Century. From pioneering fresh expressions of church to voting as a denomination to boycott Israeli goods coming out of the Occupied Territories, we think the Methodists are going to feel right at home. Talks from the Methodist Church: Chris Elliott: Embracing the deep: God thoughts from Oceania See page 65 Monday 10.00 Galilee
Martyn Atkins: On teaching your grandparents not to suck eggs See page 70 Saturday 13.00 Galilee
Methodist Network sessions interactive, workshop slots for practitioners and agitators: Are our churches in breach of Article 12 of the UN rights of the child? See page 73 Saturday 11.30 Galilee
New shoes on a well trod path – pioneer ministry and fresh expressions See page 74 Sunday 16.15 Galilee
Two men; two minutes; one chance. Quiz the coalition. See page 75 Monday 11.30 Galilee
Associates Church Times/Third Way Make sure you pay a visit to the Church Times tent, opposite the Grandstand, to check out their all-new Cartoon Exhibition, as well as take part in some familyfriendly activities that include face painting. You might also wish to find out what irresistible deals our long-standing associate partners have been dreaming up for Greenbelters this year...
Church Urban Fund You’ll find Church Urban Fund cooking up a storm in the Kitchen this year. For the first time ever, we’re running a café in the Kitchen, so you can enjoy some fairly-traded snacks whilst rolling up your sleeves and getting to the heart of some meaty issues. The Future for Youth Work See page 75 Saturday 16.00 The Kitchen
Passionate and Knackered See page 75 Sunday 16.00 The Kitchen
YMCA Where can you get a cup of tea at 2am? At the YMCA café, of course! For great value food at any time of the day, pop in and visit this vibrant 24-hour venue. The YMCA are also bringing their ever-popular climbing wall and 5-a-side football, as well as presenting three performances by the fantastic youth-led performing arts group, TenSing. TenSing See the Youth Guide to find out more. Friday 19.00 YMCA Saturday 13.00 YMCA Sunday 14.00 YMCA
Sponsors We’d also like to mention our sponsors. We are pleased to welcome back Divine, who sponsor our colourful wristbands, as well as delicious fairly traded chocolate across the site; Bible Society are sponsoring our film venue, with the special addition of popcorn and beanbags, so make sure you pay them a visit; Livability, who work to provide choices for disabled people, are sponsoring our onsite accessibility; Ethical energy company Ebico return with their wind-powered mobile phone charging and taxi service; Mother’s Union are hosting our family area, the Arena; our friends at Traidcraft return, sponsoring the Tank and promoting all things fair trade in the g-source.
For all the goodness our Partners, Associates and Sponsors provide, we are truly grateful.
120 Greenbelt 2010
A huge thanks to all those who have made Greenbelt 2010 happen... for your tireless commitment; for your time and energy; for your expertise and resources; and for everything we’re not even aware of...
Patron
Programming
The Most Rev and Rt Hon Rowan Williams
Michael Anderson Ben Edson Peter Gunstone Derek Hill Helen Morant Kari Stewart Pippa Wragg-Smith
Trustees Chair Vice chair Vice chair Treasurer Company secretary
Andy Turner Jason Barnett Jenny Baker Jonathan Smith Paul Bennett
Esther Baker Jason Barnett Gaynor Bradshaw David Cullen Simon Hall Abi Hewitt
Jude Levermore Dot Reid Paul Wilson Pip Wilson Martin Wroe
Staff Festival director Gawain Hewitt Head of content Rachel Stringer Head of operations Karen Stafford Head of communications & business development Phil Smith Development manager Jo Bega Programme co-ordinator Matt Stone Communications & commercial co-ordinator Tom Davies Office & volunteers co-ordinator Linda Watson Box office manager Peter King Finance manager Lynne Greaves Angels administrator Gill Hewitt With special thanks to Nive Hall
Beki Bateson
Office support Jessica Bowles Jules Campbell Simon King Dan MacArthur Rachel Miller Margaret Price Nikki Spurr
Richard Birkett Lucy Coates Stephen King Rachel Matthews Jenny Newbold Ben Robson
Child protection admin
Judith Castledine
Children’s admin
Niki Whitfield
HR
Rebecca Rumsey, Lynwen Plowman
Site & production management Andy Barr, Matt Smith, Polly Barker and Mark Isbister at Pure Solutions Event Safety Adviser Matt Stone, AD Health and Safety Traders & caterers management Catherine Saganic at Pure Solutions, Trevor Tweed Ben Silvey/Ali Hender Design Jon Fletcher, Wilf Whitty, Chantal Freeman Business and Finance Liz Curran
Chris Knight
Business and Finance Grace Wroe, Garry Rutter, Paul Northup and John Noble
Festival Guide Esther Baker Emma Gosden Sue Harvey-Smith Jem Maynard-Watts Harry Napier Ben Whitehouse
Operations Julie Anderson Mark Avis Claire Barber Jo Beecroft Adam Bond Adam Brailsford Liz Chapman Nick Cocking Rob Cotterill Sarah Dickens John Dormer Doggit Stick Downing Shaun Fillery Gayle Findlay Martin Finey Andy Forster Nicola Hambridge Nick Hardman Jane Henstock Nick Henstock James Holland Andrew Marshall
Ian Miller Merlin Sally Mills Mountie Chris Patterson Sally Patterson Jon Payne Zoe Pilborough Karen Radcliffe Stuart Radcliffe Rector Helen Rolfe George Ryding Martin Short Matthew Short Beki Short Nick Singleton Geoff Stickler Tamsin Vella Maria Walters Steevi Warden Zippie
Plus Ruth Amos Saga Arpino Dean Ayres Emily Baldock Dave Bevan Wendy Birchall Colin Blake Jenny Brown Jez Clark Paul Clark Mary Corfield Liz Curran Liz Dorton Claire Downing Chris Dyas Kevin Dye Bob Edy Suzanne Elvidge Martin Evans Esther Gibbons Emma Goddard Pete Gunstone Philippa Houghton Chris Knight Matt Knight Andy Labrow Katie Love Tim Maiden Ian Manson Stuart Mathers Alison Wild
Ruth Morley Rachel Morris Roger Morris Phil Mountford Paul Northup Barney Palfrey Alice Parker Chris Parker Lynn Pocock Martin Poole Ben Pugh Rob Redpath Sarah Rees Phoebe Reith Rozi Rowcroft-James Sarah Shepherd Beth Shouler Andy Smith Mark Smith Abbe Stapleton Jenny Stoneman Jo Thomson Martin Thomson Steve Threlfall-Rogers Steve Tunnicliff Ged Tyrell Vicky Tyrell Ian Usher Nigel Varndell Helen Wallbridge Hilary Miller
Cheltenham Racecourse Edward Gillespie, Susie Bradshaw and Tim Partridge
Design Jon Fletcher
Wilf Whitty
Writing Kester Brewin Tom Davies Simon Jones
Jude Mason Jeremy Woodham Paul Northup
Photography Matt Burgess Elaine Duigenan Stuart Keegan Stefan Metzler
Andy Stonehouse Jonathon Watkins Alison Whitlock
Proofing Harvey Jessop Print Calverts, London Paper Revive uncoated Revive 50:50 Silk recycled Our Partners & Associates Christian Aid The Methodist Church YMCA England Church Urban Fund Church Times & Third Way Thanks to Acme Whistles Bible Society Brandon Tool Hire Divine Ebico Emmaus Gloucestershire Epona Fairtrade Furniture Habitat for Humanity Hackney Council Helena Hobbs - Bristol Uniforms Livability Mothers’ Union National Chemical Emergency Centre Plum Baby simonsmithillustrator.co.uk Speedings Ltd St Ethelburga’s Whitechapel Gallery www.iknit.org.uk YMCA Surbiton Plus all our volunteer teams and especially all our Angels
Greenbelt Festivals Ltd 83 London Wall London EC2M 5ND info@greenbelt.org.uk www.greenbelt.org.uk 020 7374 2760 A company incorporated in England & Limited by Guarantee No. 1812893 Registered as a Charity No. 289372 VAT No. 404596647