The Pilton Portrait

Worthy Farm, Pilton, UK June 2017 Few would dispute that Glastonbury Festival is a place like no other on Earth - it’s an experience only fully understood by those who have traipsed through its fields almost every summer for the last 48 years. Each June, with the exception of ‘fallow’ years, nearly 200,000 people from all across the globe descend on the small Somerset village of Pilton as they make their way to Worthy Farm. Each come for their own reason, their own experience, with many veterans returning on an annual pilgrimage, having been bitten by the Glastonbury bug at some point previous. After my first experience in 2005, I was struck not just by the diversity of people in attendance, but by the freedom they seemed to be able to find upon arrival. It’s a safe place, a place lacking in judgment and a place of free expression. This naturally creates one of life’s great melting pots - one which I was keen to capture on camera. The Pilton Portrait provides the viewer with a brief snapshot of life beyond the Pyramid Stage - attempting to reach the core of what (and who) makes Glastonbury what it is. From young to old, fringe performers to circus acts, sewage collectors to charity workers - each with their own unique reason for being there, each truly fascinating in their own way. Thank you to my willing subjects and to Glastonbury Festival for their help and support.