Glastonbury’s 50th Anniversary Marked With Virtual V&A Exhibition
In the week that should have seen the festival gates open, the famous London museum will instead showcase a special page on their official website over the course of seven days.
Glastonbury‘s 50th anniversary is being celebrated with an online exhibition from London’s V&A Museum.
The Worthy Farm event’s 2020 edition – due to be headlined by Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift – was cancelled in March due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In the week that should have seen the festival gates open, London’s V&A – home to the permanent Glastonbury archive – will instead showcase a special page on their official website over the course of seven days.
Fans will be able to access a new collection of Glastonbury-related memorabilia, which includes old posters, programs, interviews, passes and photographs. Meanwhile, a blog section will look at how organisers have repurposed festival gear to support the NHS’ efforts in tackling the current health crisis.
Elsewhere, a day in the life of Glastonbury has been captured in a seven-minute recording from sound designer Gareth Fry. The piece includes audio captured at the Stone Circle, Pyramid Stage sound checks and more areas during the 2015 festival.
Fans are also being encouraged to share their favourite memories via email, which will then be collated to help reflect the experience of attending the festival. Visit the official V&A Museum website for further information.
Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis said: “We are delighted that the V&A is joining us in celebrating Glastonbury’s 50th anniversary. The festival is witness to decades of creative, social and political change, and your memories are an integral part of this story. Please do share your Glastonbury memories and join in the V&A’s seven days of festival fun.”
Kate Bailey, V&A curator of theatre design and scenography explained: “Glastonbury Festival is a crucible for ideas and creativity. The Glastonbury Festival archive is an extremely important growing collection for the V&A. This diverse archive reveals how the festival has developed exponentially over the past 50 years to become the global cultural phenomenon it is today.”
As previously reported, the BBC iPlayer will launch a pop-up Glastonbury channel this weekend in lieu of the shelved 50th-anniversary event. Full classic sets from the likes of Oasis, Adele, David Bowie and Beyoncé will be available to watch on-demand.
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