Hi I’m Emma…
I used to live in Glastonbury town and I work as a freelance photographer at Glastonbury Festival. I started the ‘My Glastonbury Story’ project in April 2020. It felt like a poignant moment to reflect on the history of the festival, with the 50th anniversary postponed due to Covid-19.
Worthy Farm is a place where stories unfold. People meet and come together, memories are made, communities are formed, children grow up through the festival, others are born there, people meet their spouse for the first time, others break up over that weekend…
I find it fascinating that this theatre of life continues year on year (well almost!). Glastonbury Festival has evolved from a small, alternative gathering to the most famous festival in the world. We can chart our own social history; the political landscape, music & fashions of the day. As each decade rolls into the next it develops its own unique character but there is something so universal about the experiences that we have all shared in this one special place.
I set out with the idea of this project being a People’s History archive of the festival. The people who make Glastonbury are as important as the headline acts. This time they are centre stage.
The stories & images I have gathered are about life and we delve deep into personal histories – love, connection, friendship, loss and the need to gather together and celebrate. The collective experience becomes intensely personal as we journey through the images. Simultaneous narratives are fused together in time & space and we see a microcosm of life unfolding.
You can find out more about me on my website at https://www.emmastoner.com/
John Novis
John & I used to work on the picture desk at Greenpeace International. He was the Head of Photography and I was his assistant. Now John has retired from Greenpeace and he has been helping me with this project in an advisory role.
John remembers Glastonbury Festival in the 1980’s. He enjoyed summer’s at the festival with his children and has some fond memories of those days.
You can see some of John’s pictures from the 80’s here and visit his website at https://www.johnnovis.com/