Normal? Festival of the Brain brings science and art together over four days to delve into and question the brain. Exhibitions, workshops, gigs, discussions, and performances spark debate and give a helping hand to all of us to share our stories and come together in the sharing of other peoples.
“We are excited and curious to see how our festival develops over the coming months. And in turn, to see who we might all be when we emerge next Spring. Our hope is that the festival gives us something to be connected to, to get involved in, and to grow from and through over the six months between October 2020 and end of March 2021.
These are tough times and we are all vulnerable right now. Maybe this festival is something for us all to hold on to? Whether first time attendee, participating artist, volunteer, organiser, or avid community player. All we know is that we need each other, now perhaps more than ever. We need community.
This festival belongs to all of us.”
Co-curated by Living Words, Folkestone Fringe & Creative Folkestone- so far there have been 4 festivals, each held at the Quarterhouse in May 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018.
For 2020, we will be exploring around the concept 'the growing versus the knowing' brain. This isn't about not learning, or that knowledge isn't important, but that sometimes we can hold on to thinking we 'need to know', and that can stop us from connecting to each other, growing towards each other, and learning to 'know' in a new way. As we move into a future where so many processes will be operated by machines, we might also explore our human qualities that perhaps can't be emulated. The hidden within our brains and our beings. Under this, we're going to be exploring 'touch' and 'power' in connection to the overall theme.
Normal? Festival of the Brain is co-curated by Living Words, Creative Folkestone & Folkestone Fringe. Living Words is an arts & literature charity organisation working with those with a dementia as well as those from isolated backgrounds. Creative Folkestone, is an arts charity dedicated to transforming Folkestone through collective creative activity. We do these festivals to enrich the cultural calendar of our town, bring people together, and connect Folkestone with the wider world.
