Director's Message
Jo Metcalf
photo by David Titlow
When I was invited to direct the Salisbury International Arts Festival – I thought about festivals and why I loved working in the arts. The answer was simple – the arts and festivals in particular have the ability to change your life… experiencing a great show, hearing the words to a song or seeing a wonderful photo can change your perspective, inspire you or make you question the world. Putting all the arts together into one curated festival programme where each event links to the next and there is a smorgasbord of experience, all centred around the place where the festival is held, not only allows for a unique annual experience but also celebrates a moment in time in a particular place – in our case the medieval city of Salisbury and the beautiful surrounding area.
I therefore chose the over-arching notion of ‘RESONATE’ as my guiding inspiration for my four Festivals in Salisbury. The ideas and experiences around a performance or piece of work can resonate with someone long after that event has finished. The arts can link us together – you can immediately connect with someone who has read the same book or been to the same concert – whether they live next door or on the other side of the world. One song can unite a football stadium, one book - connect thousands of children, one film – change global attitudes.
Each year we will focus on the following themes and ideas to give each Festival a particular feel:
| Year |
Theme |
Environmental Focus |
Artistic Focus |
Cultural Focus |
| 2005 |
Respect |
Land |
Image |
Asia/China/Tibet |
| 2006 |
Relate |
Atmosphere |
Story telling |
Aboriginal |
| 2007 |
React |
Water |
Movement |
Latin South & Central America |
| 2008 |
Rejoice |
Vegetation |
Song |
Africa |
The 2005 – 2008 Festivals will consider the diverse cultures of our contemporary world and the human and natural responses that unite us all.
The themes, artists, locations and audience combine to create a Festival that as a whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.
The Salisbury Festival is unique in its geography and architecture and we celebrate this through events in very special locations – concerts in the awe-inspiring Salisbury Cathedral, outdoor films at Old Sarum, dance at Wardour Castle, street theatre in the medieval market square, talks and performances in the grounds and rooms of stately homes and by special arrangement with English Heritage - annual cultural performances at Stonehenge at sunset.
Every Festival is a rare interaction between visiting artists, a place and its people – and this is what makes Salisbury’s Festival so extraordinary.
