BRINGING THE BUZZ
Avril Stanley, Founder of Body&Soul Festival
Avril Stanley curated the blueprint of what we expect of a festival in Ireland today, promoting positive social change through sustainability, wellbeing, inclusivity and creativity before they were ever debated in Ireland’s pubs. Body&Soul is the festival for creatives and the culturally curious. Avril is a pioneering visionary in Ireland’s creative landscape. As it stands apart from the cluttered crowd of commercial festivals, Ireland’s only independent festival now shape-shifts to create the festival of the future.
How do you see the world right now?
The world feels particularly polarised right now. Navigating the unknown ignites a lot of fear and anger for the profound loss and uncertainty that accompanies these times. And yet, it is equally a time of huge change on a global level. We are utterly consumed with the pandemic, and its enormous impact on our lives - and yet, we are equally waking up; be that to climate change, racism, gender equality, economic injustice, mental health issues or the simplicity of what matters most in our lives. Amidst the stripping away, it's good to remember our collective opportunity to effect positive change in ourselves and in our world. To remember to be compassionate despite our differences. To have the courage to let go of what was and gradually reorient to the future we aspire to co-create together.
When will we be able to enjoy the magic of the festival experience again?
For the more intimate festival experience synonymous with Body&Soul - hopefully by September 2021, but the true magic of the festival experience can only come back to life when social distancing is a thing of the past. Festivals, in my eyes, are about gathering people from all walks of life and submerging them in an immersive weekend of utter joy where creativity, safety and attention to detail are given precedence. It has always been our aspiration to ignite a sense of adventure, freedom and possibility in our attendees. When the time comes, we are ready - and will do our best to promise all three in equal measure!
What’s the one thing you have missed since March 2020?
Not hosting the 11th edition of Body&Soul 2020 was pretty heart-wrenching. We had spent 7 months dreaming, scheming, negotiating, programming, collaborating and preparing the ground for what we hoped would have been our best festival to date, so it was hard to let that go. Living on-site with all of our team for the build of the event is an incredible experience. They are such exceptional, driven, forward-thinking, innovative, kind and colourful folk - I miss them more than anything!
Creativity and curiosity are the heart of Body&Soul Festival - how do you think our creative community will come out of this?
We are an incredibly adaptable bunch. It's hard not to be when you create impermanent villages and parallel worlds for thousands of guests year on year. The festival landscape has been our training ground for over 20 years and strengthens one’s capacity to navigate change and think on one's feet. We will come out of this somewhat battered and bruised like everyone else, but resilient and determined to shapeshift the future of festivals to reflect the world we are part of now. We will inspire, and ignite and challenge people to think, to reflect, to dream and to celebrate life - despite the odds.
Will you share an inspirational quote for our time?
"You stand anew, remade. You have rebuilt yourself. But you are different. You have become a we, and we are each other: a vast community of astonishing potential that holds the sky aloft with our suffering, that keeps the stars in place with our limitless joy, that situates the moon within the reaches of our gratitude, and positions us in the locus of the divine. Together we are reborn.”
– Nick Cave (excerpt from the book - Stronger than kindness)