The Arts & Culture Journal

Sunrise Celebration is a Somerset festival filled with smiling faces. In 2010 the sun shone brightly down throughout the days and glinting, white-teethed, smiles floated on clouds of ecstasy. The nights were alive with the costumed carnival and the circus freaks, the Native American head-dresses, the bare-backed skankers and the Midnight ravers. All parts of the many faces of Sunrise Celebration 2010.

The whole event was a mystical and magnificent playground and Mark, the photographer of this selection, danced around the small but sprawling arena like a pixie in wild baggies. I saw him fleetingly as he snapped and coiled his lens around the many moving bodies, the fleeting faces and the sun-drenched insanity of hundreds of simultaneous happenings. Smiles and hugs, in front and behind his artistic eye; as a photographer in sheer delight.

From the Bimble Inn, River Cottage and a giant dragon slide for the kids, to crossing bridges, through Permacultures, rising tunes from Chai Wallahs and Transition and talks – people were buzzing around like bees to the nectar of the entertainment environment. Beautiful art sculptures rose up high, or sprawled out long; like flowers bursting from the ground. And, even over four days, there remained new, tantalizing eye-catchers for all us bees.

To see more of Mark’s wonderful photographs from Sunrise and from the many other festivals he flits gracefully through then check out his Flickr selection here. And to read a full creative review of the event by Rob Dickins please visit the page here.