Glastonbury has launched a new venue called Terminal 1, designed to celebrate migration and encourage diversity.
The new space, planned for 2024, is located next to the iconic Carhenge space in William’s Green, taking inspiration from the old Heathrow Airport terminal. True to its name, it has been designed to celebrate the diversity that comes from migration.
Designed as a visual guide to the journey many would-be settlers face in the UK, the visual and digital design showcases the pros and cons of the migration process. To enter the space, visitors must pass through a recreated UK Border Office and correctly answer one of the UKGOV citizenship test questions.
From there, they are led to different levels of the three-storey space and given a visual recreation of the journey faced by those seeking to migrate to the UK – all with the aim of promoting compassion and support for the country’s different cultures.
“It’s a celebration of traveling communities,” said show director Miguel Umba. ZikNation on the inspiration behind the space. “Glastonbury has always been home to marginalised communities, and by reusing the design of the old Terminal 1, we intend to make it a space where we celebrate diversity and emphasise the idea that no one is legal.”
He continued: “It’s international artists who have organised the event, artists from Rwanda, Colombia, Latin America, California. The Notting Hill Carnival is also involved, it’s organised by the CAIWU, a cleaners’ union, and we also have musicians from various backgrounds.”
A section of the site also refers to the Tories’ controversial idea of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda. After being interviewed at the UK border office, visitors are taken to a section where a host explains the country’s culture and the various traditions practised there.
“The political situation in the UK has been quite difficult in recent years, immigration has increased and so has understanding of the situation. So this was a perfect opportunity to talk about a topic that is crucial to us,” Umba explained, adding that it was no coincidence that the site arrived in time for the upcoming general election.
“I hope people will leave thinking that just because we’re having fun at Glastonbury doesn’t mean it’s the same for everyone. For some people, their lives depend on the answer to a test question or the decision of a government.”
Umba added: “Yes, migration is a very difficult topic to address, but it also requires us to show solidarity and compassion. Many of us are migrants or will have to migrate at some point, so we all need to show compassion and attack policies that do not promote the reception of people.”
Terminal 1 also features contributions from visual artists such as Love Watts, La Linterna and Yoshi Sodeoka.
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