Event Horizon: An Audiography of Transformation

Informations projet

N° de convention de subvention: 896543

DOI

10.3030/896543

Projet clôturé

Date de signature de la CE 16 Avril 2020

Date de début 1 Septembre 2021

Date de fin 30 Mars 2024

Financé au titre de

EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Coût total

€ 212 933,76

Contribution de l’UE

€ 212 933,76

212 933,76

Coordonné par

UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EH (Event Horizon: An Audiography of Transformation)

Période du rapport: 2021-09-01 au 2023-08-31

“Transformational festivals” are popular contemporary platforms for the performance of community arts. These intentional participatory events have become powerful vehicles for transnational cultures motivated to initiate transit from the conditions of late modernity to mindful, humanistic, and ecologically sustainable futures. Held annually in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert and replicated in over 80 events worldwide, Burning Man is widely recognised as a prototype transformational event. A comparative ethnography of Burning Man and two key European dance music festivals was conducted to evaluate the liminal architecture and transformational logics of event-centred cultures. The project was designed to develop skills in project management, sound recording, and field interviewing; disseminate research results via a guest edited journal issue, two journal articles, industry publications, two conferences, industry roundtables and by hosting a conference; enable training in teaching, research and academic administration as crucial to a career development plan, and be integral to the consolidation of festive studies, sound studies and event-culture research as connected interdisciplinary fields of research.

The project succeeded in forging a new understanding of transformational events. The project-derived lexicon of “transfestivity” has facilitated much needed bridging language to the study of transformational events, with such innovation furthering understanding of the role of music and dance in diverse events labelled “transformative.” It has accomplished this via ethics approved ethnographic research and interviewing performed at Burning Man, Boom and Ozora Festivals. Through dissemination in scientific venues, as well as non-academic outreach activities, and with further dissemination projected, the project has advanced the emergent field of Event Culture studies. Project insights are of value not only to cultural anthropology, studies in religion, and ethnomusicology, but for the management of events. Finally, the project not only succeeded in transferring considerable knowledge to the UoH, through enhancing research, teaching and administration skills, it furthered my career prospects.

Acquired skills in project management, project reports, fulfilling human ethics requirements

Research skills training in audio software (Logic Pro, DaVinci Resolve)

Discussed grant writing with Prof Till and developed plans for ERC Advanced Grant & AHRC grant applications

Teacher training:

• Presented two guest lectures in the Dep of MDA:
• 11 Nov 2022. The Vibe: Electronic Dance Music and Culture (Popular Music Studies – UoH MMT)
• 29 Nov 2022. The Transnational Culture of Psytrance (Explorations in World Musics – UoH MMT)
• Evaluated Ritchie Hawtin’s Scholarship applicants
• Marking 2023/24 Final Year Project diss
• Completed 2 Training courses: Supervision Fundamentals For New Supervisors of PGR Degrees (both Centralised & School training)
• Communications with prospective PhD students.

Chaired Dancecult Conference (DC23) at the UoH, 19-20 October 2023. UoH Dept of MHA graduate students participated.

Performed a multi-sited ethnography at Black Rock City Nevada (Aug 22), Boom (July 22), and Ozora (July 23),

Performed 22 interviews

Co-guest edited 2 peer review journal issues:

• I edited (with Sarah Pike) "Event Horizons: Transformational Events, Cultures and Movements" of Journal of Festive Studies # 5, Nov 2023.
• I edited (with Trace Reddell) "Psychedelica and Electronica," Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture, 15(1) Nov 2023.

3 peer review journal articles:

• St John, G. "Transfestive Horizons: An Introduction" to "Event Horizons: Transformational Events, Cultures and Movements" in Journal of Festive Studies # 5, 2023, 11-40.
• St John, G., and B, Vitos, “Burnerverse: The Borderland, Midburn, and the Global Event Culture of Burning Man,” Journal of Festive Studies # 5, 2023: 41-67.
• St John, G. "The Voice of the Apocalypse: Terence McKenna as Raving Medium," Dancecult, 15(1) 2023, 61-91

Co-authored editor’s intro:

• Trace Reddell and Graham St John, "Introduction" to "Psychedelica and Electronica," Dancecult, 15(1) 2023, 4-12.

Chair of the DC23 Dancecult Conference “After the Pandemic” UoH, 19-20 Oct, 2023 (40 delegates).

1 conference keynote:

• 2022 (21 June) “Apocalyptic Raver: McKenna as Medium,” IASPM Benelux Student Conference, University of Amsterdam

4 invited presentations:

• 2023 (20 April) “Terence McKenna: Apocalyptic Poet and Raving Medium,” B23 / Breaking Convention conference. University of Exeter.
• 2023 (12 March). “Meta-Liminal: The Resilient Vibe in World Electronica,” Tanzquartier (TQW) Vienna.
• 2022 (9 Oct) “Raver of the Apocalypse: Terence McKenna As Medium.” Occulture Conference, Berlin.
• 2022 (23 June). “Super-liminality: Researching the Vibe” Amsterdance Colloquium, Musicological Department, University of Amsterdam.

2 conference presentations:

• 2023 (Nov) “The Mirrorball and the Meta-Liminal: The Vibe in Electronic Dance Movements,” AAA/CASCA, Vancouver.
• 2023 (Oct 19) “Mirrorballs and Meta-Liminality: A Rough Guide to the Vibe in Global Dance Culture.” DC23, UoH, UK.

Outreach:

• Presented “Event Horizons” project at “Burning Nerds” Salon – Black Rock City, Nevada Aug 2 2022.
• Curated speakers programme at Chambok House Ozora Festival, Hungary July-Aug 2023

Websites:

• https://pure.hud.ac.uk/en/persons/graham-st-john
• https://www.edgecentral.net

Through the above listed (and projected – see 3) dissemination activities, the project enables the first comprehensive survey of “meta-transformational” events. The project makes a significant contribution to understanding the role of electronic dance music in “transfestive” events. Its insights on event sonicities provide key heuristics for cultural anthropology, studies in religion, and ethnomusicology, while offering critical insights for event management.

lThe project fostered the emergence of an Event-Cultures research network, achieved through DC23 conference and curating the speakers programme at Ozora Festival in 2023

The project directly enhanced my career prospects. As a direct result of the project I was awarded a 2-year UoH fellowship in the Dept MHA (commenced 1-04-24). Between 2024-2026, I aim to submit applications for AHRC and EC Advanced grants for research to be pursued at UoH Dept MHA in the field of transfestive studies.

Forthcoming publications in production include a book project Mirrorball: A Cultural History of the Vibe (manuscript submitted to MIT Press)

I will present findings at
DC25, Dancecult Conference, Berlin Technical University;
AAA/CASCA meetings, New Orleans, Nov 2025.
Ozora Festival Aug 2 2024
Boom Festival, July 2025
Burning Man Project’s European Leadership Summit – April 2025

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EH (Event Horizon: An Audiography of Transformation)

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